Why Iran's Kheibar Shekan Missile Is Drawing Attention
Newsweek · C · trust 61/100
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Iran has adapted its military tactics by utilizing Kheibar Shekan ballistic missiles to target U.S. bases across the Middle East, altering flight paths, speeds, and mid-air maneuvers to breach American air defenses, according to unnamed U.S. officials speaking to The Wall Street Journal in an article that was published on Saturday.
The adjustments come as Tehran launched waves of missile attacks on American facilities in at least five Middle Eastern countries since the beginning of July, testing a fragile ceasefire that was brokered in June . The exchange of strikes led to consecutive nights of attacks before a temporary quiet settled over the region.
President Donald Trump stated on Friday that the U.S. remains engaged in negotiations with Iran while keeping the option open to resume military strikes. The U.S. paused its attacks on Iran for a second straight day Sunday, while a spokesperson for Iran's army told the country's state TV on Sunday that it has paused attacks too.
The most recent escalation from Tehran follows a strike on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members : 1st Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, Private Isabella Gonzales, and Sergeant Angel Rampersad. Another U.S. soldier, Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, was killed in a drone detonation at Erbil Air Base in Iraq, bringing the total number of U.S. personnel killed in the conflict to 18. In recent weeks, Iran has also targeted U.S. facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar.
Related Story Pentagon Blames Troop Deaths Disappearing From Site on ‘Data Disruption’ What Is the Kheibar Shekan? Debuted by Iran in 2022, the intermediate-range ballistic missile has an estimated range of roughly 900 miles, putting the entire Middle East, parts of Russia, India, and NATO member Turkey within striking distance.
The weapon is fired from mobile ground launchers and utilizes solid fuel, significantly reducing preparation and launch times compared to liquid-fueled systems and limiting the window for opposing militaries to target launch sites.
The missile is named after the Battle of Khaybar, the 628 campaign in which the Prophet Muhammad’s forces conquered the fortified oasis of Khaybar, then held by Arabian Jews, according to the Journal .
Weighing less than its predecessors to maximize travel distance, the Kheibar Shekan joins other prominent Iranian solid-fueled systems, such as the short-range Zolfaghar and the medium-range Fattah-1, which state media claims is a hypersonic weapon capable of exceeding five times the speed of sound.
U.S. officials told the Journal that Iran has integrated Kheibar Shekan missiles with jet-powered drones, reflecting an evolution in tactical strategy.
While official cost figures have not been published by Tehran, the missiles are assessed to be significantly cheaper than the interceptors used by the U.S. and its allies, which can cost anywhere from several million to $15 million each. Defense analysts note that continuously expending high-end interceptor stockpiles against lower-cost incoming projectiles presents a long-term sustainability challenge.
“The Iranians kind of figured out during the war that the Kheibar Shekans are great because it’s pretty cheap to produce, it’s flexible with launch systems, and it’s pretty effective,” Nicole Grajewski, an expert on Iranian strategy at Sciences Po in Paris, told the Journal .
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on Saturday that Russia has used satellites to conduct reconnaissance on U.S. bases in the Gulf, sharing intelligence with Iran.
"There is a clear correlation between Russia’s satellite imagery of these sites and Iranian strikes," Zelensky said in an evening address, adding that Russian satellites observed airbases in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait between July 19 and July 20.
"The purpose is clear," Zelensky added. Newsweek has reached out to the Russian foreign ministry for comment via email.
While U.S. and allied forces have intercepted the majority of Kheibar Shekan missiles launched since the conflict began on February 28, some projectiles have successfully bypassed defense systems, one U.S. official told the newspaper.
Tehran “has seen what types of maneuvers are the most effective ones for overcoming missile defense,” Fabian Hinz, an independent missile expert, told the Journal . “Every single combat use gives you some sort of data, so that’s very useful for the Iranians.”
Ballistic missiles are generally more difficult to intercept than other threats, like cruise missiles, because their trajectory is less predictable, while flying much higher and faster. The reentry vehicle on the Kheibar Shekan–the part which carries the warhead back into the atmosphere in the later stage of the missile's flight–can maneuver to keep away from air defenses, experts say.
Sometimes, the success of aerial attacks comes from overwhelming air defenses with sheer numbers, rather than the missiles or drones being highly accurate.
"The Iranians use simple missiles to distract the radar," Qasid Mahmoud, a retired lieutenant general who previously served as the deputy chief of staff for the Jordanian military, told CBS News last week
"They then fire better quality missiles, which change their final target in the last 30 or 40 kilometers," making it very difficult to intercept the weapons, he added.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Daniel Orton and Anthony Murray .
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