In recent days, amid rising tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, reports by US and British media about Iran’s use of a new generation of ballistic missiles against US warships have attracted considerable attention. At the center of these reports is the “Qassem Basir,” a missile whose capabilities for countering maritime and moving targets had previously been discussed by Iran.

The New York Post, The Telegraph and The Wall Street Journal, in separate accounts, have referred to Iran’s use of new missile-guidance technologies. What matters is the change in the nature of the missile threat and Iran’s efforts to increase accuracy against moving maritime targets, a development that could help explain part of the change in the positioning of US vessels and their withdrawal from areas of confrontation.

Qassem Basir: A Missile Designed to Target Moving Objects

According to information published about the “Qassem Basir,” the missile is a medium-range ballistic missile equipped with an electro-optical guidance system to improve strike accuracy. With this technology, cameras and optical and thermal sensors can identify a target during the final stages of flight and adjust the missile’s trajectory to achieve a more precise hit.

This capability is significant because striking a moving warship or vessel with ballistic missiles is far more complex than attacking a stationary target. A Wall Street Journal report also indicates that the missiles used in the recent attacks were equipped with maneuverable warheads, a capability that increases the warhead’s ability to alter its trajectory while moving toward the target.

Published information about the “Qassem Basir” also cites a range of more than 1,200 kilometers, a weight of around seven tons, composite solid fuel and a speed of more than Mach 10 during the midcourse phase of flight. It has also been stated that the missile was designed to achieve more precise strikes against maritime targets and that its capabilities could make it more difficult for defense systems to predict its trajectory.

Meanwhile, reports published about the missile have also referred to its independence from global positioning systems and its resistance to electronic warfare. If operationally confirmed, these capabilities would be particularly significant in combat against warships equipped with advanced electronic-warfare systems.

Why Are Iran’s New Missiles Important for US Warships?

What has attracted more attention in recent reports than the missiles’ range or speed is their electro-optical seeker capability and the possibility of more precise guidance against moving targets. The New York Post, citing The Telegraph, reported that Iran had used missiles with electro-optical seekers for the first time in the recent attacks, missiles equipped with cameras and optical sensors capable of tracking a target.

This development could complicate the equation of attack and defense at sea, as warships have only a very limited reaction time when confronting ballistic missiles, while the mobility of the target makes defense even more difficult.

In this context, statements by some Iranian commanders and military officials are also noteworthy. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, had previously spoken of the testing of a specialized ballistic missile against a US destroyer and stressed that, for the first time, Iran had tested an Iranian anti-destroyer missile over a US warship.

He said: “This particular missile created hell for the Americans, and they fled.” Seyed Majid Ebn al-Reza, acting defense minister, has also stressed Iran’s ability to target warships participating in the economic blockade against Iran.

Therefore, what emerges from the totality of these accounts is more than simply a missile confrontation. It represents a demonstration of a new Iranian capability to threaten moving maritime targets. Despite CENTCOM’s denial that any US warship had been hit, the publication of multiple reports about Iranian missiles coming closer to vessels indicates that missile technology and the way it is employed have become important factors in new naval calculations.