Iran Says Has Obtained Technology to Build Supersonic Cruise Missile

A picture of the Fattah missile, the first Iranian hypersonic missile. (IRNA)
A picture of the Fattah missile, the first Iranian hypersonic missile. (IRNA)
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Iran Says Has Obtained Technology to Build Supersonic Cruise Missile

A picture of the Fattah missile, the first Iranian hypersonic missile. (IRNA)
A picture of the Fattah missile, the first Iranian hypersonic missile. (IRNA)

Iran said on Wednesday it has the technology to build supersonic cruise missile, Iranian state media reported.

The announcement comes days after reports on the arrival of over 3,000 US sailors and Marines aboard two US warships in the Red Sea to deter Iran from seizing and harassing merchant ships traveling through the Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz.

“The supersonic cruise missile will open a new chapter in Iran’s defense program, as it is extremely difficult to intercept a cruise missile flying at supersonic speeds,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

“The new cruise missile is currently undergoing its tests.”

Despite US and European opposition, Iran has said it will further develop its “defensive” missile program. However, Western military analysts say Iran sometimes exaggerates its missile capabilities.

Iran, which has one of the biggest missile programs in the Middle East, says its weapons are capable of reaching the bases of arch-foes Israel and the United States in the region.

Concerns about Iran’s ballistic missiles contributed to then-US President Donald Trump’s decision in 2018 to ditch Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact with six major powers and reimpose sanctions on Tehran.

Indirect talks between Tehran and US President Joe Biden’s administration to salvage the nuclear deal have stalled since last September.

In the latest in a series of attacks on ships in the Gulf since 2019, the US Navy said last month it had intervened to prevent Iran from seizing two commercial tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

The Pentagon last month sent additional F-35 and F-16 fighter jets along with a warship to the Middle East in a bid to monitor key waterways in the region following Iran’s seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels.



Japan's Emperor Begins a Weeklong Visit to Mongolia that will Honor POWs

President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China Jens Eskelund talks during a press conference for the latest report on European companies in China on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China Jens Eskelund talks during a press conference for the latest report on European companies in China on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
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Japan's Emperor Begins a Weeklong Visit to Mongolia that will Honor POWs

President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China Jens Eskelund talks during a press conference for the latest report on European companies in China on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China Jens Eskelund talks during a press conference for the latest report on European companies in China on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito began a weeklong visit to Mongolia on Sunday during which he plans to honor thousands of Japanese prisoners of World War II who were held under harsh conditions in the country.

Naruhito's visit marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. In recent years, he has toured some of the places where the bloodiest battles and bombings occurred, including Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Hiroshima. The emperor has said it's part of his effort at atonement and remembrance of the tragedy of war fought in the name of his grandfather, Emperor Hirohito, The AP news reported.

While the vast majority of Japanese soldiers were taken to Siberia, around 12,000 to 14,000 ended up in Mongolia, which was fighting alongside the Soviets against Japan.

Most of the POWs were put to hard labor and construction work for the Mongolian government’s headquarters, a state university and a theater that are still preserved in the capital Ulaanbaatar. The prisoners toiled under harsh conditions and scarce food. Japanese records show about 1,700 of them died in Mongolia.

“As we mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the war this year, we should never forget the pain and sorrow of the people,” Naruhito said last week. “I believe it is important to not forget those who died, deepen understanding of the wartime past and to nurture the peace-loving heart.”

Naruhito and Masako were scheduled to meet Mongolia's President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and his wife. The couple will also attend the opening ceremony of Naadam, Mongolia’s annual festival that focuses on three traditional games of horseracing, wrestling and archery.

Naruhito had previously visited Mongolia as crown prince in 2007.