Iran Army gains capability to intercept, redirect enemy missiles

The commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base says the Iranian Army has achieved the capability to intercept and deflect enemy missiles away from their targets.

“Any missile will be destroyed or re-routed before reaching Iran, and will hit a target of our choosing,” Fars news agency quoted Brigadier General Farzad Esmaeili as saying on Monday.

These systems will carry out their tasks whenever a threat is posed, Esmaeili added.

In recent years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in important military equipment and systems.

Commenting on a bid by members of the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council along with the US to deploy a missile system in the Persian Gulf, the Iranian commander said the countries resorting to such means certainly perceive a weakness in their defenses.

In March, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks in Saudi Arabia about a plan for a Persian Gulf missile system to counter what she described as potential threats from Iran.

This is while Iran has announced time and again that “deterrence” lies at the heart of its defense doctrine, and that its military might poses no threats to other countries.