Iran says improved ballistic missile shows it will take preemptive action against threats

On Monday, Iranian state media announced the demonstration of a ballistic missile with enhanced capabilities, signaling Tehran's commitment to a new defense doctrine. According to the state news agency, the missile boasts an increased range, accuracy, and a half-ton warhead. The report quotes Mohsen Rezaei, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, who boasted of the missile's potential to take "action against any threat, even before it is carried out."

However, the identity of the missile tested remains unclear. Meanwhile, the United States claimed that ballistic missiles were launched at its warships earlier this week, which were then struck and caused damage to three Iranian oil tankers. This incident escalated tensions between the two nations, who had been locked in a six-month-long war, with Iran previously targeting commercial shipping.

The U.S. military reported that 94 commercial vessels have been redirected, three have been disabled, and tanker traffic to non-Iranian ports is expected to increase. Rezaei acknowledged U.S. assistance in allowing a limited number of ships to transit through the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway prior to the war. Global commerce firm Kpler noted a sharp drop in transit through the waterway following a recent attack on a Saudi-owned tanker, which killed two crew members and left seven others unaccounted for.