Baku, Azerbaijan, March 7
By Umid Niayesh, Saeed Isayev - Trend:
Iran's "Barani" warhead which is reportedly being installed on ballistic missiles can be used against mass targets such as military bases, military vehicles such as tanks and APCs as well as aircrafts shelters, expert on political and military issues, Hossein Aryan told Trend on March 7.
On March 5, Iran's defense minister, Hossein Dehghan announced the mass delivery of new ballistic missiles with multiple warheads including Barani to the army and Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
The names of the delivered ballistic missiles are "Qadr H1," "Qiam," "Fateh-110″ and "Khalij Fars."
The Qadr H1 and the medium-range Qiam missiles, according to Dehghan's statements, are equipped with multiple warheads named Barani.
Commenting on the specifications of the Barani warhead, Aryan said that it contains numerous smaller bomblets and acts such as cluster bombs and cluster warheads.
But Iran claims that Barani is more effective than cluster bombs, saying that its bomblets are capable of smart targeting, the expert argued.
The warhead shoots bomblets upwards after striking the target, leading to a very wide explosion in the area, he added
Barani was described as a "new generation of long-range ballistic missiles carrying multiple re-entry vehicle payloads". However Aryan said that it seems unlikely, adding that Barani works like cluster bombs and the bomblets are not capable of adjustable targeting.
Commenting on the possible threats from Iran's missiles against Israel, the expert said that Israel's defense system can completely foil any possible missile attack from Iran.
He went on to say that Israeli officials` statements about Iran's missile threat have political use and are not realistic.
Israel exaggerates about Iran's missile power Aryan said, adding that Israel benefits from a multilayer air defense system including Iron Dome, David's Sling, Iron Beam and Arrow missiles which are capable of effectively preventing Iran's possible attacks.
Iranian media outlets report that Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems in recent years. Tehran established an arms development program during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s to counter the weapons embargo imposed on it by the U.S. and its Western allies.
Since 1992, Iran has manufactured its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, radars, boats, submarines and fighter planes. Iran also unveiled its first domestically-manufactured long-range Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in 2010.