capable of penetrating all defense systems.

The speed of this missile exceeds five times the speed of conventional ballistic missiles, according to the commander of the Aerospace Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

General Hajizadeh said: "This hypersonic ballistic missile has been developed to intercept air defense shields. It will be able to penetrate all anti-missile defense systems."

The Iranian general added that he believed that it would take decades to develop defense systems capable of intercepting this missile, "which targets the enemy's anti-missile systems, and represents a great leap forward in the missile field."

Hypersonic missiles can fly at a low altitude, as well as their ability to maneuver, making them difficult to track and intercept

But Western military experts say that "the Iranians sometimes overestimate their military strength." These experts are based on the absence of reports of hypersonic ballistic missile tests in Iran.

The Iranian announcement comes after Tehran admitted on Saturday that it had sent drones to Russia, but added that it did so before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine

 report published by the Washington Post on October 16 said that Iran was preparing to send missiles to Russia, which Tehran denied, describing the report as "completely untrue."

The Iranian announcement also comes at a time when talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, which Iran had reached with six major powers - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States - and which provides for sanctions relief for Iran in exchange for guarantees, have stalled. On the other hand, it will not develop a nuclear weapon.

Iran has repeatedly denied its intention to establish a nuclear arsenal. But the nuclear agreement collapsed after the United States withdrew from it in a way that caused the side in 2018 during the term of President Donald Trump.

The Iranian announcement about the hypersonic missile also comes after an announcement on the fifth of this month that a successful test launch of a missile capable of carrying satellites into space, only three months after it launched a satellite with Russian assistance.

On March 5, the US government imposed sanctions on Iranian missile-related activities. Washington said at the time that these sanctions came after "an Iranian missile attack on Erbil in Iraq, as well as missile attacks launched by Iranian proxies on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates."

And yesterday, Wednesday, Iran warned its neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, that it may retaliate against steps that seek to destabilize it, amid demonstrations that have swept Iran since the killing of the young woman, Mahsa Amini, while she was detained by the morality police