Iran Has Unveiled a New Trump Card

Source: Reference News

【Today’s Highlights】Former President Trump stated that Iran “does not have many missiles left.” However, Iran has not exhausted its missile stockpiles, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has begun using new missile types to strike.

As the White House claims to have destroyed 90% of Iran’s missile capabilities, Tehran has unveiled new trump cards—the previously unused “Dey Stone”-2 and “Haji Kassem” missiles. The cluster warhead-equipped “Dey Stone”-2 challenges Western air defense systems and indicates that the IRGC may be prepared for a prolonged confrontation. Experts estimate that this missile stockpile could number in the hundreds, and its mobility reduces the effectiveness of U.S. preemptive strikes.

U.S. President Donald Trump stated on the 17th that the Middle East conflict might end soon, but not next week.

Military expert Dmitry Korenev said that Trump’s assessment is based on military reports, so the specific timeline will depend on the Pentagon.

Previously, Trump also claimed that Iran “has few missiles left.” He said the U.S. is continuously striking factories producing missiles and drones. Despite frequent U.S. military successes, Iran has not exhausted its missile stockpiles, and the IRGC has begun using new missile types for strikes, specifically the “Dey Stone”-2 ballistic missile.

Additionally, the IRGC announced the first use of the medium-range ballistic missile “Haji Kassem,” named after Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force who was killed by the U.S. military in 2020.

Korenev said, “Information about ‘Haji Kassem’ is very limited. It is a fairly modern solid-fuel missile with a range of about 1,400 kilometers. All signs indicate it is equipped with a maneuvering warhead, making it difficult to intercept. The use of solid fuel suggests a new missile design, as Iran only first tested a medium-range solid-fuel missile, the ‘Dey Stone’-1, in 2008. Bringing this weapon out of storage indicates an increased missile strike capability.”

Earlier, a video of the “Dey Stone”-2 surfaced online. The footage shows the missile launch, ascent, and transition into horizontal flight.

Korenev explained, “From the video, it appears to be a large two-stage ballistic missile with a separable warhead. Both stages are controllable, meaning the second stage also has control engines.”

The “Dey Stone”-2 missile can be equipped with an integrated fragmentation warhead or a cluster warhead. The latter contains submunitions of different sizes and purposes, possibly including decoys.

He elaborated, “Cluster warheads are very difficult to intercept because they contain many submunitions. To ensure interception, all submunitions must be destroyed, which consumes a large number of interceptors. These warheads are especially effective against dispersed targets but could cause significant casualties if used in urban areas.”

Military expert Yuri Lyamin pointed out, “‘Dey Stone’-2 equipped with cluster warheads can be used to target airports, airbases, as well as vulnerable industrial facilities like refineries and chemical plants. Even small fragments can incapacitate aircraft or helicopters.”

The “Dey Stone”-2 missile was developed in the 2000s as a successor to the “Dey Stone”-1, with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers. Specific warhead weight parameters have not been disclosed; estimates suggest it could be around 1,000 kg or even 1,500 kg.

Lyamin estimates that Iran may have stored several hundred “Dey Stone”-2 missiles over the past 15 years. He believes the deployment of these new missiles indicates Iran is increasing its commitment to this conflict.

Lyamin believes Tehran’s strategy is to fight a prolonged war. He explained, “In this situation, it is crucial to use various types of missiles evenly to prevent depleting one type while others remain unused.”

Furthermore, the expert suggests that Israel may not have an effective response to these new missiles—after all, from the start of the conflict, Israel has deployed all its missile defense systems to intercept as many targets as possible.

This article was published on the Russian “Kommersant” website on March 18, titled “Decisive Strikes: Despite U.S. Repeated Claims, Iran Continues Attacks,” authored by Roman Kletchur and Andrey Buyevich.