Iran Is Developing Its First Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Capable of Reaching the Mainland United States

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.

Xi Jinping's Arrival to Saudi Arabia Is A Huge Blow To Destroy US Hegemony

Xi Jinping's Arrival to Saudi Arabia Is A Huge Blow To Destroy US Hegemony

December 8, 2022.

ISLAMTODAY ID- Chinese President Xi Jinping traveled to Saudi Arabia for three days since December 7 at the invitation of Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The visit comes against a backdrop of continuing tensions between Beijing and Riyadh and Washington on the other.

The following is an estimate of the results of the visit, as reported by Sputniknews, Wednesday (7/12/2022).

  Great Host Deals?

Saudi news outlets reported hopes of signing a series of agreements worth more than $29 billion during Xi Jinping's visit to Riyadh.

The agreements include those related to energy and infrastructure.

According to the outlet, in addition to more than 20 preliminary agreements that will be signed on the sidelines of the Sino-Saudi summit.

In addition, it is hoped that Beijing and Riyadh will also be able to sign a document on strategic partnerships, as well as agree on a "harmonization" plan between the two countries' long-term programs, including the Saudi "Vision-2030" program and China's "One Belt - One Road" initiative.

The summit between the Chinese president and the Saudi King will also be attended by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

As for Xi's travel agenda to Saudi Arabia, it also includes the Arab-China summit on cooperation and development, as well as the Arab-China meeting with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) consisting of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Arabic (UAE).

'Double Impact' in the US

Some experts believe that the visit of the Chinese president to Saudi Arabia can be considered a double blow for the US, which is trying to dictate its terms to the global energy market.

Experts are of the opinion that the visit is touted as a significant event that transcends the current oil price situation.

This is because Xi will meet not only Saudi Arabian leaders, but also senior officials from Persian Gulf countries – at the meeting where “new relations between China and the Arab world” as well as Beijing and the international oil and gas community will be discussed.

According to some analysts, the fact of this encounter is “epoch-making and revolutionary” – a sign they believe indicates that a new world order is becoming more real.

Experts add that Washington has long tried to prevent Xi from visiting Riyadh, but without success.

According to them, the fact that the visit will take place reflects China's growing international influence.

Washington Vs Beijing tensions, Riyadh

Xi is traveling to Saudi Arabia as Washington's tensions with Riyadh and Beijing show no sign of letting up.

In October, US President Joe Biden warned that there would be "consequences" for Saudi Arabia for its move to cut oil production earlier that month, but declined to elaborate on what steps he might take.

In early October, the OPEC+ group of oil producers, which includes Saudi Arabia and Russia, announced that it had agreed to cut oil production by two million bpd from November and would take the agreed production levels for August as a reference point.

The move was made in response to the uncertain outlook for global oil markets, caused in part by Western sanctions on Russian energy shipments and a G7 plan to introduce price caps on Russian crude.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry rejected claims that the oil cuts were "politically motivated against the United States" or that the Saudis were "taking sides" in the Ukraine conflict.

The Saudis stressed that the decision was made unanimously by OPEC+ members and that the move was "based purely on economic considerations."

For your information, US-China relations deteriorated after the then Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taiwan in early August.

Beijing denounced Pelosi's trip as a gesture of support for separatism, launching large-scale military exercises around Taiwan.

However, several countries, including France, the United States, Japan and others, have sent their delegations to the island since then, further increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

Although the US does not enjoy formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Washington has a representative office in Taipei, remaining the island's largest supplier of military hardware.

Beijing regards the island as an integral part of the PRC, adhering to a policy of peaceful reunification under the “One China – Two Systems” model.

source: islamtoday.id Sputniknews