Iran displays locally made ballistic and cruise missiles in the light of U.S. tensions

Amid U.S. tensions, locally made surface to surface, ballistic and cruise missiles have been displayed by Iran on Thursday. One of the missiles is named after martyr Qassem Soleimani, the former Iranian general, who was killed by the U.S. operated drone near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020. Later, Iran unveiled another missile named Abu Mahdi on the same day.

What is a surface to surface, ballistic and cruise missile?

• A surface-to-surface missile is designed in such a way so that it could be launched from the ground or the sea to strike targets on land or at sea.
• A ballistic missile is what follows a ballistic trajectory to strike a pre-fixed target with one or more warheads.
• A cruise missile is a guided missile used to strike terrestrial targets. It travels at approximately a constant speed and has the ability to hit the target over long distances.

Iran’s missile

• The martyr Qassem Soleimani missile is a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 1400 km.
• The martyr Abu Mahdi missile is a cruise missile with a range of 1000 km.

Tensions between Iran and U.S.

The U.S. has been tremendously trying to impose a cap on the nuclear activity of Iran through extending the United Nation framework which is likely to expire in October. Previously, the U.S. tried to gather strong support of its friendly states against Iran. In the past, it even tried to force India to stop oil import from Iran.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2020