Iran is intensifying its military messaging amid the escalating confrontation with the United States and Israel, announcing that it will no longer launch missiles carrying warheads weighing less than one tonne. The move reflects a strategic direction aimed at increasing the destructive impact of its ballistic missiles and strengthening its deterrence capability.
The announcement was made by Brigadier General Majid Mousavi, commander of the Aerospace Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He confirmed that attacks would continue in response to Washington and Tel Aviv, stating that the assault on the “enemy will not stop for a single moment”.
According to Mousavi, the missiles that will be launched in the future will carry warheads weighing no less than one tonne, alongside an increase in the frequency of launches and a broader scale of missile waves.
Iran’s Defensive Doctrine
In this context, military expert Brigadier General Hassan Jouni says the statement carries implications tied to the nature of Iran’s defensive doctrine, which is primarily based on ballistic missiles. Tehran considers this arsenal the principal tool for balancing the aerial superiority of its adversaries.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Jouni explained that Iran has built its military arsenal around this category of weapon over many years of preparation for a potential confrontation. According to him, ballistic missiles allow Iran to compensate for the gap in air capabilities compared with the United States and Israel.
Operation “True Promise 4”
Shortly after midnight between Monday and Tuesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the launch of missiles carrying one tonne warheads during the thirty third wave of Operation “True Promise 4”, targeting Israeli and American objectives.
According to the military expert, the escalation in the use of ballistic missiles is being pursued through three principal levels.
First is the increase in the weight of the explosive warhead, which has now reached one tonne and may rise further.
Second is the nature of the detonation, such as fragmentation or cluster explosions, which significantly multiply the destructive effect.
Third is improving strike accuracy and directing attacks toward more sensitive targets.
Disputed Assessments of Iran’s Military Capabilities
Jouni also commented on statements by United States President Donald Trump, who claimed that 80 percent of Iran’s military capabilities had been destroyed. He suggested that this estimate was most likely based on the reduced pace of Iranian missile launches.
The military analyst said he is convinced that the intensive air strikes that continued for eleven days undoubtedly destroyed a significant portion of Iran’s arsenal. At the same time, he emphasised that none of the parties involved possesses precise information about the true size of this arsenal.
He acknowledged that accurately estimating the scale of the losses remains extremely difficult, adding that “if such information were actually available, it would have been possible to determine the locations more precisely and target them directly”.
Escalating Regional Confrontation
Since 28 February, Israel and the United States have launched attacks on Iran that have resulted in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of people, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the defence minister, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard, and other military leaders.
In response, Tehran has launched missiles and drones toward Israel, in addition to targeting what it describes as “American interests” in Arab and Gulf states. These attacks have led to casualties and damage to civilian facilities, including airports, ports, and residential buildings.
