Iran Says Defense Systems Equipped Against Israeli Bunker Buster Missiles

Iran’s middle-range air defense system is equipped with interceptors that can shoot down bunker-buster missiles that might be fired by Israel, according to Brig Gen Ahmad Sadeqnejad, Air Defense Affairs Advisor to the Defense Minister.

"After monitoring regional threats, we concluded that the Zionist regime fires guided bombs (GBU) or bunker busters from a long distance at its targets. This was observed in the Israelis' attack on Syria's T-4 airbase," Sadeqnejad said on March 16, Defa Press reported.

"To counter the enemy's measure, we designed an anti-bunker buster AGBU (anti-guided bomb unit) and mounted it on the system that would be an appropriate guard for the Shahid Arman system," he added.

A bunker buster is a type of weapon capable of penetrating highly protected underground military bunkers. In October 2020, two members of the US House of Representatives were preparing to introduce legislation that would make it possible for the US to supply its GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) to Israel.

Developed in the early 2000s, the MOP is a powerful bunker-busting bomb that could penetrate Iran’s underground nuclear facilities should it pursue nuclear weapons, which Israel considers a mortal threat.

In December 2023, the US reportedly provided Israel with large bunker-buster bombs, among tens of thousands of other weapons and artillery shells. The surge of arms, including roughly 15,000 bombs and 57,000 artillery shells, began shortly after the October 7 attack, when the military wings of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian militant groups launched coordinated armed incursions into the Gaza Envelope of neighboring Israel.

In recent years, Iranian military experts and technicians have achieved self-sufficiency in domestically producing a wide array of equipment, making significant strides in the realm of weaponry. Iran has also reached self-sufficiency in producing drone engines at home.

Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani said on March 13 that Tehran's arms exports have increased four to five-fold in the past years, adding that the export of defense products had seen a boost in comparison with the past two years. This is expected to further expand due to "innovations and new weapons".

These announcements come amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, highlighting Iran's ongoing commitment to bolstering its military capabilities despite international pressures.

On March 15, Iran, Russia and China completed the five-day military drills dubbed "Maritime Security Belt 2024," in the Gulf of Oman, a critical water conduit near the entry to the Persian Gulf. It is the fourth joint China-Russia-Iran military exercise since 2019. Along with Chinese and Russian fleets, more than 10 Iranian Navy vessels and three helicopters reportedly took part in the military drills.

These exercises may be planned ahead of the current Israel-Hamas war, but their implication and message to regional players and the West are highly significant. The drills come just a week after NATO's Nordic Response exercises, the most expansive NATO drills since the Cold War ended in 1991.

Referring to the naval drills, the Iranian defense minister said that the goal of the drills by the three great world powers included the establishment of stability and security in the region and its "sensitive waterways".

Since 2019, the Gulf of Oman has seen a series of ship seizures and attacks that the US has blamed on Iran, although Tehran has denied any involvement.