Iran to install new missile system to protect its nuclear sites

Amid intensifying speculation over an imminent Israeli attack, a senior Revolutionary Guard commander announced that a system which would replace high-precision Russian missiles whose delivery was cancelled due to international sanctions was almost one-third complete and would be ready for deployment next March.

Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili, commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya air defence base, claimed the Iranian system, the Bavar (Belief) 373 would be an improvement on the Russian model, which Iran wanted to buy as protection against a potential US or Israeli bombardment.

“The new system has higher and more developed capabilities than the S300 for discovering, identifying and destroying the targets while tracking them,” Brig Gen Esmaili told a conference in Tehran held to mark the Islamic republic’s Air Defence Day.

He said its name had been coined by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had told its inventor that if he had belief, it would come true.

If Brig Gen Esmaili’s boasts of the Bavar 373’s capabilities are justified, the system would bolster Iran’s air defences significantly.

The S300 is said to be capable of shooting down planes, cruise missiles and ballistic missile warheads at ranges of more than 90 miles and at altitudes of around 90,000 feet.

Brig Gen Farzard Esmaili said the new system had been developed solely by domestically-based defence contractors based on research conducted in Iranian universities. He said it had no need for foreign-manufactured spare parts, making it immune to the effects of ever-tightening sanctions.

However, other Iranian sources have said the project incorporates technology from China.

Iran embarked on the programme after Russia pulled out of an US$800m (£503m) contract to supply S300s two years ago under pressure from the west and Israel, who argued that it would be a violation of UN embargoes imposed on Tehran’s nuclear activities.

The decision caused a chill in the previously warm relations between the two countries, with Tehran seeking compensation in the International Court of Justice. Russia has reportedly pressed Iran to drop the case by threatening to take a harder line on its nuclear programme, which the west and Israel suspect is aimed at producing a bomb despite Iranian denials.

In further moves to step up preparedness, Iranian commanders say they will stage major air defence manoeuvres over the next 50 days. Brig Gen Esmaili said defences against air raids had been constructed at 3,600 locations throughout the country.

Source: The Telegraph