The National Interest:

Iran’s decision to use ballistic missiles to strike at U.S. bases in Iraq is unsurprising given Iran’s decade of boasting about the range and precision of its missile program. Tehran has used ballistic missiles increasingly in strikes against ISIS in 2017 and 2018 and also against Kurdish dissidents. It has also exported its missile technology to Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as transferring ballistic missiles to pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and sending rockets to Syria.

At a rally in February 2019, Iran put on display its Ghadr, Qiam and Zolfaghar missiles. These missiles all have their own pedigree and families that their technology is based on. For instance, the Fateh 313, unveiled in 2015, is based on the successful Fateh 110 which was developed in the early 2000s and is based on the Zelzal-2 which was derived from Soviet-era technology. The Zolfaghar is based on the Fateh family and was unveiled in 2016.

Similarly, the Ghadr missile with ranges beyond 1,000 miles, was derived from the Shahab 3 which has origins in the North Korean Nodong missile which is based on a Soviet Scud. The Qiam missile, which Iran began showing off in the 2010s and is part of the Shahab series, is also based on a Scud.

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