WANA (Sep 08) – As U.S. President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent continue to speak of tightening the maritime blockade against Iran, Iranian military officials have pointed to a ballistic missile that they say can be used against warships involved in such operations.

 

Iran’s Acting Defense Minister, Brig. Gen. Seyed Majid Ibn al-Reza, said last night that Iran has the capability to target warships participating in the economic blockade against the country, adding that the results of this capability would be seen in practice.

 

On Sunday night, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, also said that, for the first time since the 12-day war, Iran had tested a specialized ballistic missile designed to target warships over a U.S. vessel 48 hours earlier. He said the incident created what he described as a “hellish” situation and that the U.S. warship fled the area.

 

The Iranian commanders were referring to the Qassem Basir ballistic missile, which has a reported range of 1,200 kilometers and is designed to precisely engage maritime targets. Iranian sources have said the missile was used in an attack on U.S. warships several nights earlier.

 

According to specifications released by Iran, the Qassem Basir has an accuracy of less than one meter and is equipped with a thermal imaging and electro-optical guidance system, allowing it to track and adjust its trajectory toward a target during the final stage of flight. The system is also designed to identify targets based on their thermal signatures.