WASHINGTON — Iran’s missile strikes this week on two Iraqi military bases and suspected role in the takedown of a Ukraine-bound passenger jet, stand as examples of Tehran’s ballistic missile capability.
Iran, which boasts one of the largest and most diverse missile portfolios in the Middle East, uses its arsenal to project power throughout the region.
“Iran’s missile arsenal is their relative strength to reach out and touch or hold at risk various targets,” Thomas Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNBC.
“Whether it’s North Korea or Iran or other regimes, they’ve invested in their missile arsenal as a relatively cost-effective means to hold at risk targets in the region,” he said, adding that Iran has yet to deploy a long-range missile capable of striking the United States.
Iranians visit a weaponry and military equipment exhibition in the capital Tehran on Febraury 2, 2019, organised on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Isranian revolution.
Atta Kenare | AFP | Getty Images
