Pentagon casts doubt on Iranian missile claim

The US military is “skeptical” about reports that Tehran has developed a hypersonic weapon

The Pentagon doubts Iran’s claims that it has developed a hypersonic weapon, a spokesperson told journalists on Thursday. A top Iranian commander reported, last week, that Tehran had succeeded in producing the technology.

“We’ve seen the reports asserted and coming out of Iran. We remain skeptical of these reports,” Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said when asked on Thursday about reports in Iranian media. She added that the US military was monitoring “any development or proliferation of advanced technology coming out of Iran or missile systems.”

The claim that Tehran now possesses a projectile capable of traveling at a hypersonic speed – usually defined as over five times the speed of sound – came from Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

He told journalists that the new ballistic missile was designed to pierce through enemy air defense systems and could maneuver both inside and outside of the atmosphere, but offered no further details. He also said that the technology to intercept the weapon would not be developed for at least several decades.

READ MORE: Iran has developed hypersonic weapon – top commander

Washington has imposed a number of sanctions on Iran and officials directly linked to the development and testing of its missile technology. The US claims it poses a threat to regional stability.

Tehran touts its arsenal of various types of missiles as deterrence against potential aggression by the US or one of its regional allies such as Israel.