A new Iranian threat: advanced cruise missile

Iran has revealed a new missile dubbed “Soumar”, which launched last week as part of an extent military manoeuver in the Strait of Hormuz. This is a direct threat to all vessels sailing in the Persian Gulf, particularly to the US Navy. Moreover, the missile which ranges up to 2,500 km, poses a threat to a series of countries remote from Iran.

Missile Launch Tansim News/Channel 2 News

One week after simulated American aircraft carriers where bombed in an extent military maneuver in the Strait of Hormuz, a new missile test was carried out. The new and advanced ground-launched cruise missile, with a range of 2,500 km, was launched during a military exercise.  

 Navy commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced during the military maneuver that trials were conducted on a new strategic weapon which ‘Americans do not know about’ and probably intended the new missile.

The missile dubbed “Soumar” reaches a range of 2,500 km and constitutes a palpable threat to vessels sailing in the Persian Gulf, particularly to the US Navy. Furthermore, the missiles threaten number of countries remote from Iran. Soumar is based on a Soviet missile, which 12 of the similar model were stolen from the Ukraine a few years ago, and came into the hands of Iran and China.

Tal Inbar, director of the Center for Space Research at the Fisher Institute for Strategic Air and Space Research, explained in a conversation with a Channel 2 news online, that Soumar is a ground launched missile. At the first stage, the missile is driven by a rocket engine and after a few seconds it moves to jet propulsion and reaches subsonic speed. 

Inbar said that the missile is originally meant to be launched from planes and can be equipped with a nuclear warhead. However, the missiles which were smuggled from the Ukraine did not have a nuclear warhead and could be launched from ships, and from submarines, in the future.

The significance is far reaching, while Iran has never confirmed that it has missiles coming across a range of 2,000 km, and now they posses missiles ranging in 2,500 km, which could reach a wide continuum of countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece. In addition, Iran could try to increase the missiles range up to 3,000 km, by using external fuel tanks.