Iran Is Developing Its First Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Capable of Reaching the Mainland United States.
Thursday, August 7, 2025.
Iran may have developed or is preparing to test its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), designated the Khorramshahr-5. This missile is reportedly capable of a range of up to 12,000 kilometers, a speed of Mach 16 (approximately 20,000 km/h), and a warhead weighing approximately two tons. If verified, these figures would place Iran among the few countries capable of conducting intercontinental missile strikes and significantly extend its strategic reach beyond its previously stated limit of 2,000 kilometers. However, to date, no official test has been acknowledged by the Iranian Ministry of Defense or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). If accurate, the Khorramshahr-5's range (up to 12,000 kilometers) would be sufficient to reach the entire continental United States from Iranian territory, placing the Khorramshahr-5 in the class of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), defined by a minimum range of 5,500 kilometers and including systems capable of conducting transcontinental strikes.
An intercontinental ballistic missile is defined as a guided missile with a minimum range of 5,500 kilometers, designed to deliver a warhead across intercontinental distances. ICBMs typically consist of two or three stages and can be launched from fixed silos, mobile platforms, or submarines. After launch, the missile exits the atmosphere, travels through space in a parabolic arc, and re-enters at very high speeds. Modern ICBMs can exceed Mach 20 and can carry multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) or hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs), allowing them to strike multiple targets with a single launch. The warhead descends at a speed of between 15,000 and 24,000 km/h, using inertial navigation, GPS, or advanced optical guidance to reach its target. Although designed primarily for nuclear payloads, ICBMs can also be armed with conventional payloads or submunitions, depending on strategic needs. Their average flight time ranges from 30 to 40 minutes, and they are among the most difficult weapons to intercept due to their altitude, speed, and maneuverability.
Nevertheless, various technical, political, and developmental clues suggest that the Khorramshahr-5 may be in active, secret development or a pre-operational prototype. Its claimed range of 12,000 kilometers far exceeds the 2,000–3,000 kilometers of the previous Khorramshahr-1 through -4 models. Media sources state that the missile uses liquid-fuel propulsion to achieve this speed, measures approximately 12 meters in length, and weighs between 14 and 15 tons at launch. The Khorramshahr-4, introduced in 2023, already features hypergolic fuel, a shorter launch time of under 15 minutes, and improved mid-phase guidance. The Khorramshahr-5 is said to expand on these features while offering a six-fold increase in range. Furthermore, Iran's development of a multi-stage solid-fuel engine like the Salman, with thrust vector control (TVC), demonstrates the enhanced modular propulsion capabilities required for an ICBM-class system. Its payload, reportedly a two-ton warhead, has been compared by Iranian media to US bunker-buster bombs like the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP).
Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh previously stated that a two-ton hypersonic warhead had been successfully tested, but did not attribute the test to any ICBM and referred only to medium- and intermediate-range platforms like the Emad and other Khorramshahr variants. The Khorramshahr-5's reported Mach 16 speed aligns with the terminal phase speed of a typical ICBM. Iranian officials have also stated that the Fattah series of hypersonic missiles has reached Mach 15 and is now considered operational, although no clarification has been given as to whether the system is related to ICBM development. The Khorramshahr series of missiles evolved from North Korea's BM-25 Musudan, which was based on the Soviet R-27 submarine-launched missile. Iran first tested the original Khorramshahr missile in 2017, with a range of 2,000 kilometers and a payload of approximately 1,800 kilograms. Subsequent models, including the Khorramshahr-2 and -3, featured improved warhead aerodynamics and a reduced missile length.
The Khorramshahr-4, or "Kheibar," launched in May 2023, introduced hypergolic liquid propellant that can be stored for years and allows launch readiness within 12 minutes. It carries a 1,500 kg warhead and uses a mid-course navigation system to correct its trajectory outside the atmosphere, thus reducing the missile's flight time.
