Military Developments in Iran

In the past few days, the Iranian military has displayed new weaponry and the military commanders have been increasingly warning against an impending attack on the country.

During the parade in Tehran last Saturday, a medium-range ballistic missile, named Ghadr-1, and its launcher were put on display. The new missile reportedly has a range 500 kilometers more than Shahab-3.

Ghadr-1 was displayed along with older missiles such as Zalzal-3, Fateh-110, Shahab-1 and Shahab-3. The missiles are in the possession of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corp. (IRGC). IRGC also displayed its tanks, missile-carrying carriers and artillery units.

The new IRGC commander, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, said after the parade,“You have seen the missiles. Just pull the trigger and shoot." Jafari added, "Our message to the enemies is: Do not do it. They will regret it, as they are regretting it in Iraq."

The new jetfighter, Saegheh, was flown during the parade. Iran’s air force also deploys two other domestic fighters: Azarakhsh and Tazarv, a training jet.

In related developments, a published report in the US indicated that the US Navy has been alerted for new deployment to the Persian Gulf (Time, Sunday 23 September), and a retired US Air Force officer with experience at the Pentagon told CNN today that US Special Operations forces are already operating inside Iran and the “second phase of overt military action” will soon follow. Colonel Sam Gardiner told Wolf Blitzer that the action plan has been approved by the Pentagon and is now at the White House.