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Qassem Bassir
Iranian ballistic missile From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Qassem Bassir (also transliterated Qasem or Ghasem Bassir) missile is an Iranian medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) unveiled in May 2025.[1]With a solid-fueled, two-stage system, it is presented as an improved variant of Iran’s Haj Qassem series, named after Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani.[2][3] Iranian officials state the Qassem Bassir has a range of about 1,200 km, and features enhanced guidance and countermeasure resistance.[1] The missile was revealed by Iranian Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh on Iranian state television on 4 May 2025.[1]
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Development
Summarize
Perspective
The Qassem Bassir emerged from Iran’s ongoing missile program development. It is explicitly an upgrade of the "Shahid Haj Qassem" medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) first unveiled in 2020 (with a longer advertised 1,400 km range).[4]
Design and technical characteristics
Estimates from Iranian sources suggest the Qassem Bassir re-enters the atmosphere at speeds up to ~Mach 11 and impacts at about Mach 5, classifying it as hypersonic at terminal phase.[5]
Guidance system
The Qassem Bassir’s guidance system combines inertial navigation with an advanced electro-optical sensor for the terminal phase. According to the Iranian Defense Ministry, it carries a thermal imaging (Infrared) camera that allows the missile to visually identify and home in on designated targets by their heat signatures,[5] this means it can attempt to "see" its target and maneuver toward it without relying on any satellite GPS signal.[6] Iranian reports claim that during testing the Qassem Bassir flew under intense jamming, yet its autonomous optical seeker and onboard inertial units maintained trajectory.[6] Observers note this is the first Iranian MRBM reported to use an image-based (infrared/optical) terminal seeker.[6] In practice, this guidance scheme should make the Qassem Bassir largely immune to radio-frequency jamming; as one analyst explained, by matching real-time images to stored terrain or target shapes, the missile avoids any external signals that an enemy could block.[6] Iran claims that the Qassem Bassir can achieve near "meter-level" accuracy against selected targets (e.g. airfield facilities).[5][6]
Missile defense evasion
During reentry, the missile's fins reportedly allow the warhead to perform course changes at supersonic speed[5]
Independent analysts caution that such figures likely include elements of propaganda.[7] Others, such as Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at King’s College London, are skeptical about Iran's claims about the new missile, stating that they need to be taken with a "pinch of salt,”, further stating about Iran that "they claim a lot" in order to retain a deterrent posture in anticipation of a rise in military tensions between Iran and the US.[7]
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Test firing and unveiling
According to the Iranian Ministry of Defense, the Qasssem Bassir missile was successfully test-fired on 16–17 April 2025, striking a target over 1,200 km away.[10] On 4 May 2025, the missile’s formal unveiling took place, while US-Iran talks were on hold after a pause requested by Oman’s foreign minister.[11] In public statements, Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and media outlets stressed that Bassir’s enhancements in guidance and maneuverability address the deficiencies of earlier missiles,[12][10][6] while stating that US bases in the region would be legitimate targets if military tensions in the area were to increase.[11][12][13][14]
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See also
References
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