A report from Tehran-based Press TV said that reports have been spreading recently about Khorramshahr-5, a highly-featured ICBM. It reportedly has a range of 12,000 km, a speed of Mach 16 and a two-ton warhead.
Unlike previous official discoveries of Iran’s major military achievements, it is usually announced by the Ministry of Defense or the Aerospace Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Some media shared footage from the 2023 Khorramshahr-4 test, falsely reporting that missile tests had been conducted. However, the possibility of missiles being ready cannot be ruled out.
Iran has always argued that its missile programme has been defensive and complied with a voluntary range limit of 2,000 km, as stated by a senior official in 2015 and reaffirmed in the years that followed.
Iranian leaders, including IRGC people, have rejected the pursuit of the ICBMS in the past, claiming that existing missiles are sufficient to neutralize the threat from the Israeli regime and the US bases in the region.
Following recent changes in regional dynamics and unattacked attacks by Israeli-Americans on the Islamic Republic, it could potentially correct a long-standing attitude.
A Press TV report cites media reports saying that the Khorramshahr-5 is an ICBM with an operating range of up to 12,000 kilometers across the distance covering the entire US mainland.
This figure is estimated to be much higher than Iran’s current longest-range ballistic missile, particularly Khorramshahr (1-4), with a range of up to 4,000 km.
The Simorgh Carrier Rocket has similar ranges when converted to ballistic missiles, and both have 10-20 times the payload of Simorgh, each with converted Soroush-1 and Soroush-2 carrier rockets currently under development.
However, it is unlikely that a potential ICBM is based on rockets from these civilian airlines. These carrier rockets are slow to load fuel and therefore are simple targets of the enemy in the event of an all-out war.
The speed of the Khorramshahr-5 missile is reported to be Mach 16 (approximately 20,000 km/h), typical of ICBMs in central or terminal flights.
Iran has already demonstrated this technical capability by testing deferred fatter missiles that reach speeds of Mach 15 and have special resistant materials and complex guidance.
The third interesting feature of the Khorramshahr-5 ICBM is reportedly a two-ton warhead payload, which is said to be comparable to the American bunkerbuster bomb.
It is not clear what range this diagram refers to, as the payload is inversely proportional to the range and can drop 10 times from the minimum range to the maximum range.
Whether it refers to 5,500 or 12,000 km, Iranian Defence Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh reported that a record two-ton warhead had been tested at an irresponsive speed in June.
However, he did not mention these warheads in the context of intercontinental ballistic missiles, but said they could be used for existing medium-range (MRBM) and medium-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs), such as Emad and Khorramshahr.
Other features reported in the media, such as a height of 12 meters and a mass of 14-15 tons, are not reliable as they do not match the liquid fuel propulsion claims and the two tons warhead claims.
MNA