During the early 1990s Iran began to shift from the acquirement of ballistic missiles to their production through a well documented technological partnership with
North Korea, despite its denial by Iranian foreign ministry official Hassan Taherian, in February 1995. The main reason for this transition was to minimise the effects of
sanctions and
interdictions posed by the
USA, as well as
military embargoes and international actions against Iran. According to Seitz and
Cordesman, another possible reason was that more capable long-range missiles are necessary for deploying heavy
nuclear weapons, and would allow Iran to threaten targets outside the region, intimidate the US and prevent them from taking military action against Iran. Additionally, allegations regarding Chinese assistance in resolving the missile's final technical issues began to emerge. Shahab-3 missiles were displayed openly in military parades, production was said to have begun at a rate of several per month and they were introduced into service. On 31 May 2005, Shamkhani declared that a new missile motor, using solid fuel technology and capable of carrying a payload of 700 kg over a distance of 1500–2000 km was successfully tested. In September 2005 two new variants of the Shahab-3, with three metre long triconic ("Baby-bottle")
nose-cones, were tested and displayed publicly. Experts are in disagreement with regard to their intended purpose. Some are of the opinion that they are to carry a warhead of the
air-burst type, geared toward the dispersal of chemical and biological agents, while others believe it is better suited for a nuclear payload.
2008 Great Prophet III test On 8 July 2008, Iran test fired a non-upgraded version of the Shahab-3, as one of 9 medium- and long-range missiles launched as part of the
Great Prophet III exercise. Other missiles fired include the surface-to-surface
Fateh-110 and
Zelzal missiles.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air and naval units conducted these tests in a desert location. Air Force commander Hossein Salami said that "Iran was ready to retaliate to military threats... we warn the enemies who intend to threaten us with military exercises and empty psychological operations that our hand will always be on the trigger and our missiles will always be ready to launch". On 9 July 2008, Iran allegedly tested a version of the Shahab-3 in the
Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has threatened to shut down traffic into if it is attacked. Arms control analyst
Jeffrey Lewis analyzed Iranian launch footage and concluded that Iranian claims of testing an upgraded Shahab missile were unfounded. A senior Republican Guard commander said Iran would maintain security in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. According to the Israeli newspaper
Haaretz and the French news agency
Agence France-Presse, which published pictures from the missile test, "Iran had apparently doctored photographs of missile test-firings and exaggerated the capabilities of the weapons", and an additional missile was added afterwards to cover up a failed launch. ==Operators==