Iran Tests Missile It Claims Can Penetrate U.S. and Israeli Defenses

Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said on Sunday that Iran has successfully tested an advanced solid-fueled ballistic missile that can penetrate the American-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system and strike targets in Israel. According to Nasirzadeh and Iranian state media, the new Qassem Basir missile is an upgrade of the old Martyr Hajj Qassem ballistic missile, which performed rather poorly during Iran’s two missile attacks on Israel last year.

Both the old and new versions of the missile are named after Iranian terrorist mastermind Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed while plotting attacks against Americans in Iraq by an airstrike ordered by President Donald Trump in January 2020.

The Iranian regime has long claimed its missile strikes were actually highly effective and struck terror into the heart of Israel, despite reports that 99 percent of its weapons were intercepted before reaching their targets. Nasirzadeh’s rollout of the new missile was something of a landmark in that he tacitly admitted the missiles Iran used in 2024 had some problems. He claimed “weaknesses” revealed during what Iran refers to as “Operation True Promise” have been corrected, so the Qassem Basir missile is now capable of getting past THAAD.  (Ed note: Solid state propellant is not required or necessary for a rocket to reach Israel or Saudi Arabia, but will be used on ICBM's to reach America!)   (Read More)