Iran drill downs bunker busters over Natanz
Iran drill downs bunker busters over Natanz
TEHRAN – Bunker busters are some of the most fearsome bombs used by militaries around the world. They are believed to be capable of penetrating underground facilities, tunnels, and complexes. But as Iranian defense systems downed projectiles mirroring the features of a hostile bunker buster on Tuesday, the event seemed surprisingly routine.
The projectiles were intercepted over Iran's nuclear facilities, including Natanz, in central Esfahan province during ongoing nationwide drills scheduled to last several weeks. While the downing of bunker busters this week received significant media attention, security and defense analyst Mohammad Shaltouki says it is not a new development.
"Having followed Iran's military exercises for years as a journalist and analyst," he stated to the Tehran Times, "I can confirm that Iran has routinely practiced intercepting potential weapons, including bunker busters, aimed at it for several years. Beyond intercepting bunker busters, Iran has also long practiced downing the aircraft that deploy them."
The media attention given to what appears to be a routine military exercise is likely a consequence of recent Western and Israeli media reports speculating about the incoming Trump administration's plans for potential strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities. These reports were compounded by a story from Axios which suggested that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan recently outlined potential U.S. strike options on Iranian nuclear sites for President Biden, in the event Tehran moves towards developing nuclear weapons before Trump's inauguration later this month.
Threats of attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities are not new. They have been lobbed at Iran across several consecutive U.S. administrations, particularly during President Barack Obama's presidency when he intensified the threat before the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The JCPOA, which limited Iran’s nuclear program, led Washington to abandon its hawkish rhetoric. However, since Iran increased its nuclear activities after Donald Trump's withdrawal from the deal in 2018, these threats have gradually resurfaced in American discourse.
Another regime that’s been threatening to hit Iran’s nuclear sites for years is Israel, particularly its longest-serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But the wanted criminal did not, or could not, strike his ultimate dream targets in October when Washington helped it launch airstrikes against Iran in response to two Iranian operations hitting Israeli military sites in 2024.
The attacks took the lives of four Iranian soldiers serving in the country's defense forces. For the Iranian public, who spent the night hearing their defense system intercept Israeli missiles launched from Iraqi airspace, the aftermath of the attack was not apparent. There was no footage of successful strikes, and no visible damage on the ground, unlike the observable impact of Iranian attacks on Israel. However, Israel has claimed for months that it rendered Iran “defenseless” and destroyed its defense infrastructure. Tuesday's military drill was also significant in that it debunked Israeli claims of significantly harming Iran's defense capabilities.
During the exercise, Iranian forces employed indigenous air defense systems including the low-altitude Dezful anti-cruise missile and drone system, the high-altitude Sevom Khordad, and the newly revealed 358 missiles. Shaltouki believes the 358 is a masterpiece of Iranian engineering. “It is a missile that acts like a drone. It patrols a designated area and destroys targets when it finds them,” he explained.
The analyst also believes that while the defense systems deployed during the drill are impressive, they are not the best Iran has. “Everyone knows that during wargames, only a portion of a country’s military capabilities is unveiled.”
source: tehrantimes.com