By Staff, Agencies

The Islamic Revolution Guards [IRG] Navy commander Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri stressed that the new long-range naval cruise missile of Iran will force the enemy’s aircraft carriers to stay at least 2,000 kilometers away from the country’s coasts, making fighter jets on board the warships practically ineffective.

The Iranian Navy and the Corps Navy took delivery of the “Abu Mahdi” strategic cruise missile in a ceremony attended by senior military officials on Tuesday.

With a range of over 1,000 kilometers, the missile would expand Iran’s naval defense coverage zone by several times and allow the naval units to broaden their operational range.

In comments at the event, Tangsiri said a main feature of the new missile is keeping the enemy away from the Iranian coasts.

“We can fire the Abu Mahdi missile from deep inside the country. The missile has a dual seeker and performs successfully against the enemy’s electronic warfare,” the general said.

He explained that if an Iranian military vessel travels at a distance of 1,000 kilometers from the country’s coasts and launches the Abu Mahdi, the enemy’s aircraft carrier will have to retreat at least 1,000 kilometers farther away to evade the long-range cruise missile, so the fighter jets on board the aircraft carrier will be rendered useless.

The general noted that the new missile can be fired either from a vessel or a coastal launch pad, hunt multiple targets, and hit the target from various directions.

“Since the missile has a very low service ceiling and a very long range, it could be hardly tracked,” Tangsiri noted.

He expressed hope that the missile, named after late Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis who was martyred at the hands of the “criminal US”, would conduct retaliatory attacks on the enemies at sea.