Iran says improved ballistic missile shows it will take preemptive action against threats

Iranian state media says a ballistic missile with improved capabilities is demonstrating a new doctrine: Tehran “will take action against any threat, even before it is carried out.”

The report by Iran’s state news agency repeatedly cites comments aired Sunday on state TV by the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, who boasted of new missile capability and claimed it had been “tested” against a US warship. But it is not clear whether what was tested is the missile the new report described, the solid-fueled Qassem Basir.

The US on Saturday said ballistic missiles were launched at US warships and that it struck three Iranian oil tankers in response. Experts called the launch a dangerous escalation, noting that until then, Iran’s attacks at sea had targeted commercial shipping during six months of war. The US said the warships evaded the attacks.

Iran’s messaging in recent days has become more assertive, and the new Iranian report says the Qassem Basir marks “a turning point in Iran’s defense strategy.” It describes the missile as having greater range and accuracy and a half-ton warhead. The missile was unveiled last year, when it was described as having at least a 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) range.

Concerns about Iran’s ballistic missile program were one of the stated reasons the US and Israel attacked Iran early this year, sparking the war.