TEHRAN (Realist English). Iran’s defense minister, Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh, has warned that the country is prepared to use advanced military hardware never before deployed on the battlefield if it faces fresh aggression.
In a televised interview on Friday, Nasirzadeh said, “If the enemy resorts to another aggression, we will certainly deploy equipment that has not been deployed yet.”
He cited the Qasem Basir missile as one of the systems withheld during Iran’s defensive and retaliatory operations in June against U.S. and Israeli attacks. The solid-fuel missile, with a range of 1,200 kilometers, was described by the minister as “our surgical missile with the highest level of precision.”
Nasirzadeh noted that the projectile was developed using expertise gained from Iran’s True Promise I and II operations last year. He emphasized its resilience against electronic warfare and electromagnetic countermeasures, adding, “These countermeasures do not affect the missile, which performs full precision strikes on designated targets.”
According to the minister, Iran has also test-fired other missiles capable of maneuvering beyond conventional ballistic trajectories, designed to evade enemy interception systems. “We did not use these missile technologies during the 12-day war either,” he said.
Costs of defense and limits of endurance
Nasirzadeh argued that Israel would have struggled to sustain defense had the conflict lasted longer. “If the war had lasted 15 days, in the final three days, the enemy might not have been able to defend itself against any of our missiles,” he said.
He also highlighted the financial and logistical strain on adversaries deploying interceptors such as THAAD or Patriot systems. “Defense is not easy. It is not like firing a machinegun. These systems are massive apparatuses; once their missiles run out, reloading takes time. They are also extremely expensive. Launching multiple interceptors to stop a single warhead cannot be considered feasible,” he added.
The comments underline Iran’s effort to signal deterrence as regional tensions remain high and adversaries weigh the risks of prolonged escalation.
