Rising tensions between Iran and the United States

Japan expressed concern about Iran’s development of its uranium enrichment program and Russia’s use of Iranian combat drones in Ukraine and called on Iran to cooperate fully and unconditionally with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Meanwhile, British authorities have identified 15 “credible threats” by the Iranian regime since 2022 to kill or kidnap British citizens or UK residents. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is the biggest threat to British national security.

Iranian state media reported that Iran had acquired the technology to produce supersonic cruise missiles. The missiles are currently undergoing testing and “will mark the beginning of a new chapter in the country’s defence prowess.” So far, none of Iran’s many cruise missiles have exceeded Mach 1, the speed of sound, which is around 343 m/s depending on air pressure and temperature.

Tensions are rising between Tehran and Washington over maritime security in regional waters. The US Navy has just sent 3,000 military personnel and two warships to the Red Sea to help protect shipping lanes from Iranian “harassment”, including the strategic Strait of Hormuz. In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps equipped its navy with new drones and missiles ranging from 1,000 km. They launched military exercises on three islands under its control that the UAE claims as its own.