Middle East: During the twelfth phase of the True Promise III retaliatory operation, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) used the Sejjil-2 ballistic missile for the first time, armed with a warhead of exceptionally destructive power.

As the new-generation missile soared into the night sky on Wednesday evening, residents in Tehran and other provinces in central Iran were witness to a mysterious phenomenon: a moving point of light trailing a serpentine plume of smoke.

At one point, the glowing object exploded into a fireball and continued on its trajectory, carving a cobra-like, winding path of light in the sky.

Curious onlookers, unaware of what they saw, speculated that it could be an Iranian air defense missile, a hostile projectile, or even a natural occurrence like a meteor shower.

The westward trajectory soon revealed the truth: this was an Iranian missile, fired as part of the True Promise III operation in retaliation against the continued Zionist aggression.

Military sources confirmed that the visual spectacle was caused by a two-stage Sejjil-2 ballistic missile, more specifically, by the separation of the first stage after its fuel was expended.

In a statement, the IRGC's public relations office said the twelfth phase of Operation True Promise III “began with the firing of ultra-heavy, long-range, two-stage Sejjil missiles."

What makes Sejjil unmatched among existing missiles?

Major General Mohsen Rezaei, the IRGC spokesperson, said the IRGC had employed a combination of strikes using the superheavy Sejjil and the hypersonic Fattah missile, which caused disruptions in the Zionist regime's air defense systems.

The Fattah-1 missile, constructed from special materials resistant to extreme heat, is a precision-guided, two-stage, solid-fueled rocket with a range of 1,400 kilometers and a terminal speed between Mach 13 and 15.

This extraordinary speed, combined with its movable nozzles enabling full directional maneuverability inside and outside the atmosphere, renders it effectively immune to interception by existing missile defense systems anywhere in the world.

The missile carries a warhead weighing approximately 1,000 kg, including a 350–450 kg explosive payload.

While both Fattah-1 and the upgraded Fattah-2, equipped with a 200 kg hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), are formidable weapons, they can’t match Sejjil-2 in terms of scale and payload.

The Fattah hypersonic missile is approximately 11.5 meters long, 80 cm in diameter, and weighs 4 to 4.6 tons in total.

In contrast, the Sejjil-2, which is based on earlier generations of Iranian ballistic missiles, is much more massive and robust. It is 18 meters long, 1.25 meters in diameter, and has a launch weight of 23.6 tons, five to six times heavier than the Fattah.

Depending on the target distance, the Sejjil-2 can deliver a payload of around 700 kg to a range of 2,000 kilometers, or approximately 1.5 tons to a shorter range of 1,000 kilometers, well within reach of occupied territories.

Just two days before the Zionist regime launched its aggression against Iran, the Iranian Minister of Defense announced the successful testing of a missile equipped with a two-ton warhead.

Although the platform was not specified, it was most likely the Sejjil or Khorramshahr (Kheibar), another missile in Iran’s superheavy class.

How has Iran's ballistic program evolved?

The Sejjil missile, along with Ashura, was among Iran’s first solid-fuel, medium-range ballistic missiles. It was officially unveiled in 2008, following years of reliance on liquid-fueled missiles like the Shahab-3.

Solid-fuel composites allow the missile to be stored while fully fueled, drastically reducing launch time. In contrast, Shahab-3 missiles require several hours for fueling before launch.

By the end of 2009, an improved version—named Sejjil-2—was introduced. It featured a detachable second stage with control fins to increase accuracy.

Sejjil-2 remains the only two-stage missile mass-produced domestically, with both stages powered by solid fuel—making it a standout in Iran’s missile arsenal.

During flight, once the first stage's fuel is depleted, a small detonation separates it from the second stage, whose engines then ignite. This process creates the dramatic visual effect witnessed across Tehran on Wednesday evening.

Despite being in production for nearly two decades, Sejjil-2 had not previously been used in IRGC missile operations, either against the Zionist regime or terrorist groups, until now.

Its greatest advantage lies in its extremely heavy warhead, capable of causing massive destruction within a several-hundred-meter radius. It is ideal for targeting hardened military facilities and infrastructure.

The Sejjil-2 can carry an MIRV (multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle) system, enabling it to deliver multiple powerful warheads to separate targets in a single strike.

Another key strength is its extended range, which allows it to be launched from virtually any point in Iran, not just from western regions where hostile intelligence services may expect it.

The appearance of Sejjil-2 on the battlefield marks a new phase in Iran’s missile doctrine. Its combination of power, range, and survivability signals a major shift and a significant new challenge for the Zionist regime.

By Ivan Kesic

Source: Press TV