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Iran deploys smart bombs

— Photo: AP

SHOT IN THE ARM: A 2,000-pound "smart" bomb on display in Tehran on Sunday.

TEHRAN: Iran vowed on Sunday to use a new 2,000-pound “smart bomb” against its enemies and unveiled mass production of the new weapon, state television reported.

Tehran first announced development of the long-range guided bomb on Thursday, saying it could be deployed by the country’s aging U.S.-made F-4 and F-5 fighter jets.

“We will use these [bombs] against our enemies when the time comes,” Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said on state television on Sunday.

The broadcast included a brief clip of a fighter jet reportedly dropping one of the bombs, which destroyed a target on the ground.

Mr. Najjar continued his threats as “We will use this weapon where we want to ... hit enemy’s strategic and defence targets. This will be used against our enemies, against those who violate our land and air space.”

Emanuel Winston, a West Asia analyst at the U.S.-based Freeman Center for Strategic Studies, said Iran’s smart bomb claim sounded “plausible” but cautioned that missile development would be more dangerous given the limited range of the country’s aircraft.

Mr. Najjar was more aggressive, saying the bomb “remarkably increases Iran’s defence capabilities.”

Tehran often announces new weapons for its arsenal, but the United States maintains that while the Islamic Republic has made some strides, many of these statements are exaggerations.

Iran launched its own arms development programme during its 1980-88 war with Iraq in response to a U.S.-led arms embargo. Since 1992, the country has produced its own tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and missiles.

Earlier this month, Iran said it had started industrial-scale production of its own fighter jet, known as Azarakhsh (lightning), to upgrade its elderly air force, much of which dates from before the 1979 Revolution.

Iran last year test-fired a “ultra-horizon” missile, two powerful torpedoes and a Fajr-e Darya missile capable of avoiding radars and hitting several targets simultaneously. — AP

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