Despite Khamenei’s death, Iran will continue attacks as it has 2,500 missiles in arsenal

NEW DELHI: Despite the death of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several military heads in the recent US and Israel strikes, Iran is holding its ground as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is “now acting independently”, using its large stockpile of diverse missiles and advanced drones— considered the largest in West Asia — to hold out against its adversaries and strike strategic US assets in the Gulf.

IRGC, set up by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in May 1979, acts independently of the civilian govt and is answerable to only the supreme leader. After Khamenei’s death, IRGC is acting according to advance instructions given by him before his death. This view was reflected in Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi’s recent interview to Al Jazeera in which he said, “What happened in Oman (attack on its port) was not our choice... Our military units are now in fact independent and somehow isolated, and they are acting based on instructions — you know, general instructions — given to them in advance.”


Before Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion” launched last June against Iran, Tehran had an estimated 3,000 missiles, a stockpile that was reduced to 1,500 missiles by the end of the conflict. But Iran started replenishing its stockpile and, as per Israel Defence Forces’ latest estimates, the strength of its arsenal rose to 2,500 this year.

The country’s longest-range ballistic missiles are assessed to travel between 2,000 and 2,500 km, placing Israel and numerous US-linked military bases in the West Asia region within their reach. However, contrary to some claims, these missiles cannot reach the US.

Among short-range ballistic missiles, there is Shahab-1-Scud B (up to 300 km); Shahab-2-Scud C (500 km); Qiam-1 (650 km); Fateh-110 (300 km); Fateh-313 (500 km); Raad-500 (500 km); Zolfaghar (700 km); Dezful (1,000 km). Among medium-range ballistic missiles, there is Shahab-3 (1,300 km); Ghadr (1,600 km); Emad (1,800 km); Khorramshahr-1, -2, and -4 (2,000-3,000 km); Fattah-1 (1,400 km); Fattah-2 (1,500 km); Haj Qassem (1,400 km); Qassem Basir (1,200 km); Kheibar Shekan (1,450 km), Sejjil (2,000 km). In the category of land attack cruise missiles are Soumar (range unknown), Hoveizeh (1,350 km), Ya Ali (700 km) and Paveh (1650 km).