The U.S. government has been «skeptical» about Iran’s announcement of the development of its first hypersonic ballistic missile, although it has stressed that it is «closely analyzing» the developments surrounding the Asian country’s military industry.
«With respect to Iran’s claims about a hypersonic ballistic missile, we have seen the Iranian reports (…) and we are skeptical about them,» said US Defense Department deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh.
«As always, I will avoid commenting on our intelligence data or our assessments, but we will continue to closely analyze Iran’s claims about any development or proliferation of advanced technology in Iranian missile systems,» she said.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hayizade said last week that the missile developed by Tehran has the capability to penetrate «sophisticated» anti-aircraft systems.
Tehran’s announcement came amid tensions in negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, damaged by the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from it in 2018, and Western criticism against the country for its «destabilizing» activities in the region.
