On Thursday, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official confirmed that Iran successfully test-fired a medium range ballistic missile in “recent days.” According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, Commander of the IRGC, Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh stated that the “Hormuz-2” naval ballistic missile was successfully launched and able to travel approximately 155 miles (250km) before hitting a floating target.
“The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) forces successfully destroyed a floating target from a distance of 250 kilometers using a domestically-made missile dubbed ‘Hormuz-2’,” Tasnim reported.
Tasnim also reported that the Hormuz-2 is capable of hitting a floating target within 300 kilometers, adding that “Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the arms sphere.”
The latest missile launch is just another in a long chain of aggressive actions taken by Iran at the condemnation of the United States. Iran has continued to test fire ballistic missiles despite the Trump administration putting the Islamic republic “on notice” for their actions and also issuing new sanctions aimed at hurting the Middle Eastern nation economically.
Just last week, a U.S. Navy ship was forced to change course in the tumultuous waters in the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian fast boats came within 600 yards of the vessel. The U.S. and Iran have had a long-running rivalry in the strait which guards the entrance to the Gulf.
The report says that Tehran ensures that they do not plan to use their military might against regional countries because the “Islamic Republic’s defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.”
[revad2]
