Reference News Network, March 19 report. According to the Russian "Sovetsky Soyuz" website, on March 18, as the White House claimed to have destroyed 90% of Iran's missile capabilities, Tehran unveiled a new card - the "Shahab-2" and "Hajj Qasem" missiles, which had never been used before. The "Shahab-2" equipped with cluster warheads poses a challenge to Western air defense systems and indicates that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may be preparing for a prolonged confrontation. Experts estimate that the stockpile of this missile could be hundreds of units, and its mobility reduces the effectiveness of American preemptive strikes.

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

Military expert Dmitriy Kornev said that Trump's assessment is based on military reports, so the specific time will depend on the Pentagon.

Previously, Trump also said that Iran's remaining missiles were few. He said that the US has been continuously striking factories producing missiles and drones. Although the US military has had many victories, Iran has not run out of missiles, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has begun using new missiles for attacks. Specifically, it is the "Shahab-2" ballistic missile.

In addition, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported the first use of the medium-range ballistic missile "Hajj Qasem". This missile is named after Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the "Qods Force", who was killed by the US military in 2020.

Kornev said: "There is very little information about 'Hajj Qasem'. It is a rather modern solid-fuel missile with a range of about 1400 kilometers. Various signs indicate that it is equipped with maneuverable warheads, making it difficult to intercept. The use of solid fuel indicates a novel missile design, because until 2008, Iran had not tested a medium-range solid-fuel missile 'Shahab-1' for the first time. Iran has brought out this weapon from the inventory, indicating an enhancement in its missile strike capability."

Previously, a video of the "Shahab-2" appeared online. The footage recorded the process of the missile being launched, ascending, and transitioning into horizontal flight.

Kornev introduced: "From the video, it is a large two-stage ballistic missile with separable warheads. Both stages of the missile can be controlled, meaning that the second stage is also equipped with a control engine."

The "Shahab-2" missile can be equipped with a single fragmentation warhead or a cluster warhead. The latter contains bullets of different sizes and purposes, which may include decoy bombs.

This expert explained: "Cluster warheads are extremely difficult to intercept, as they actually contain a large number of bullet heads. To ensure interception, all bullet heads must be hit, which requires a lot of interceptors. This type of warhead is particularly effective against dispersed targets, but if used in urban areas, it could cause a large number of casualties."

Military expert Yuri Lyamin pointed out: "The 'Shahab-2' equipped with cluster warheads can be used to attack airports, airbases, and vulnerable industrial facilities such as oil refineries and chemical plants. Even small fragments can disable aircraft or helicopters."

The "Shahab-2" missile was developed in the 2000s, as a follow-up model to the "Shahab-1", with a range of up to 2500 kilometers. Specific parameters regarding the weight of the warhead are not disclosed. It is estimated to be up to 1000 kilograms, even 1500 kilograms.

Lyamin estimates that over the past 15 years, Iran may have stored hundreds of "Shahab-2" missiles. He believes that the use of these new missiles may indicate that Iran is increasing its bets on this conflict.

Lyamin believes that Tehran's starting point is to wage a protracted war. He explained: "In this case, it is crucial to evenly use various types of missiles to avoid imbalances where one type of weapon is exhausted while others remain unused."

Moreover, this expert believes that Israel may not have any countermeasures for the new missile - after all, since the beginning of the conflict, the country has used all its anti-missile defense systems to intercept as many targets as possible. (Translated by He Yingjun)

Original: toutiao.com/article/7618865848891097635/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.