Munitions

Cluster-munition warhead

Cluster-munition warheads are missile payloads that open in flight and disperse multiple submunitions over a wide area instead of delivering a single unitary blast. Iranian ballistic-missile use of the payload was reported during the 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict and again in the 2026 Iran War, where monitors emphasized both the wide-area effect and the uncertainty around exact missile models.

Cluster-munition warhead, Ballistic-missile cluster warhead, Munitions
Image source: Commons B-1B Lancer and cluster bombs

Role in Conflicts

2026 Iran War
Long-Range StrikeArea Denial
Side
Iran

During the 2026 Iran War, Human Rights Watch and Cluster Munition Monitor reported repeated Iranian ballistic-missile attacks using cluster-munition warheads against Israel; public reporting did not identify the exact missile model used in each strike.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Iran
Type
Ballistic-missile cluster warhead
Service note
2025-present direct Israel-Iran conflict use
Designed
Preexisting cluster-warhead concept adapted for Iranian ballistic missiles

Specifications

Payload effect
Warhead opens in the air and disperses dozens of submunitions
Dispersion altitude
Reported to open at high altitude before submunition release
Submunition count
Cluster Munition Monitor cites HRW-reviewed videos showing 21 to 65 submunitions released, while Khorramshahr-4 claims suggested up to 80 submunitions
Area effect
Submunitions can spread across several hundred meters to several kilometers
Typical submunition size
Reported bomblets can weigh less than 3 kilograms each
Variants

Open sources describe Iranian missile cluster-warhead payloads by function and submunition pattern more often than by a single public model designation.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Cluster-bomb warheadHigh-altitude submunition-dispensing payload

Amnesty International and Cluster Munition Monitor describe Iranian ballistic-missile warheads that release explosive submunitions over a wide area.

Sources: Amnesty Iran-Israel cluster munitions in 12 Day War, Cluster Munition Monitor Iran ban policy

Fragmenting submunition warheadBomblet payload

Associated reporting describes small explosive submunitions released from ballistic-missile warheads, with dud-risk and wide-area effects after dispersal.

Sources: Israel says Iran is using cluster munitions. What to know about the weapons, HRW Iran unlawful cluster munition strikes on Israel

Compatible Missile Families

Published references identify several Iranian ballistic-missile families as able, claimed, or assessed to carry submunition-style payloads. The exact missile model used in each reported 2025 and 2026 cluster-warhead incident remains uncertain.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
Iranian ballistic missiles, Ballistic missile family, ArtilleryIranian ballistic missilesBallistic-missile family

CSIS describes Khorramshahr as an Iranian medium-range ballistic missile whose claimed multiple-warhead capability most likely refers to a submunitions warhead.

Sources: Khorramshahr | Missile Threat - CSIS

Zolfaghar Ballistic Missile, Short-range ballistic missile, ArtilleryZolfaghar Ballistic MissileShort-range ballistic missile

CSIS says Iran claims Zolfaghar can be fitted with a submunition warhead.

Sources: Zolfaghar (Dezful, Qasem) | Missile Threat - CSIS

Qiam-1 / modified Qiam ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, ArtilleryQiam-1 / modified Qiam ballistic missileShort-range ballistic missile

CSIS lists submunitions as a Qiam-1 warhead option, alongside high-explosive fragmentation.

Sources: Qiam-1 | Missile Threat - CSIS

Fateh-110 / Fateh-family ballistic missile, Short-range ballistic missile, ArtilleryFateh-110 / Fateh-family ballistic missileShort-range ballistic missile

CSIS lists submunitions as a Fateh-110 warhead option and describes the missile as likely intended for high-explosive, chemical, or submunitions payloads.

Sources: Fateh-110 | Missile Threat - CSIS

Delivery Context

The public record supports Iranian ballistic-missile delivery of cluster-munition warheads but does not identify one confirmed missile model for every reported incident.

Direct use

AP, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Cluster Munition Monitor connect Iranian ballistic missiles with cluster or submunition warheads to attacks on Israel in 2025 and 2026.

Model attribution

CSIS documents submunition or multiple-warhead payload options across Iranian missile families including Khorramshahr, Zolfaghar, Qiam-1, and Fateh-110; those compatibility references are background unless tied to a specific strike by a direct conflict source.

Timeline

Cluster-munition warhead Key Events

  1. Zolfaghar submunition claim

    CSIS says Iran announced the Zolfaghar ballistic missile in 2016 and claimed it could be fitted with a submunition warhead.

    Sources: Zolfaghar (Dezful, Qasem) | Missile Threat - CSIS

  2. Khorramshahr-4 submunition claim

    Cluster Munition Monitor notes that Iran's 2023 Khorramshahr-4 unveiling suggested a payload carrying up to 80 submunitions.

    Sources: Cluster Munition Monitor Iran ban policy

  3. Reported use in Israel

    Amnesty International reported that Iranian forces fired ballistic missiles whose cluster-munition warheads dispersed submunitions in populated areas during the June 2025 conflict.

    Sources: Amnesty Iran-Israel cluster munitions in 12 Day War

  4. Repeated 2026 use reported

    Human Rights Watch reported repeated Iranian ballistic-missile delivery of cluster munitions against Israel after the 2026 Iran War began.

    Sources: HRW Iran unlawful cluster munition strikes on Israel

Media

Cluster-munition warhead Videos

Cluster-munition warhead Images

Cluster-munition warhead, Ballistic-missile cluster warhead, Munitions - view 1
Source: Commons IMI Runway Attack Munition
Cluster-munition warhead, Ballistic-missile cluster warhead, Munitions - view 2
Source: Commons ShOAB-0.5 cluster bomblet
Related Weapon Systems
Blue Sparrow, Air-launched ballistic target missile / air-to-surface ballistic munition, MunitionsMunitionsBlue SparrowAir-launched ballistic target missile / air-to-surface ballistic munitionBlue Sparrow is a Rafael-built Israeli air-launched ballistic target missile in the Sparrow family, originally used to simulate medium- and long-range ballistic threats for missile-defense testing. Open Source Munitions Portal records and reporting on debris in Iraq show Blue Sparrow-family components in later Israeli long-range air-to-surface strike activity, while public sources still treat exact derivative designations and warhead configurations cautiously.
M095 DPICM cluster submunition, Dual-purpose improved conventional munition submunition, MunitionsMunitionsM095 DPICM cluster submunitionDual-purpose improved conventional munition submunitionThe M095 is an Israeli-made dual-purpose improved conventional munition submunition carried inside LAR-160 cluster rockets. Cluster Munition Monitor reporting ties M095 DPICM remnants to the April 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes, and Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International documented M095 remnants, impact patterns, pink stabilization ribbons, and unexploded submunitions after Azerbaijani rocket attacks on Stepanakert and Hadrut in 2020.

Sources

Israel says Iran is using cluster munitions. What to know about the weaponsPublisher: Associated Press | Note: Supports 2026 Iran War direct use and background: AP reported Iranian ballistic missiles dropping smaller bomblets in March 2026, described the high-altitude burst and wide-area submunition effect, and noted Israeli statements that similar projectiles were fired during the June 2025 conflict. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Amnesty Iran-Israel cluster munitions in 12 Day WarPublisher: Amnesty International | Note: Supports 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict direct use: Amnesty said Iranian forces fired ballistic missiles whose warheads contained submunitions into populated areas of Israel during the 12-day conflict. | Accessed: 2026-07-01HRW Iran unlawful cluster munition strikes on IsraelPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports 2026 Iran War direct use: HRW reported repeated Iranian cluster munitions delivered by ballistic missiles in attacks on Israel since February 28, 2026, and confirmed three separate attacks affecting population centers. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Cluster Munition Monitor Iran ban policyPublisher: Cluster Munition Monitor | Note: Supports 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict and 2026 Iran War direct use: the Monitor reports Iranian ballistic missiles with cluster-munition warheads against Israel in June 2025 and again since February 28, 2026; it also notes that exact missile models in the attacks are unclear. | Accessed: 2026-07-01AP June 19, 2025 Iran-Israel attacks reportPublisher: Associated Press | Note: Supports 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict direct use: AP reported that Israel's Home Front Command said one Iranian ballistic missile fired during the 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict was rigged with fragmenting cluster munitions. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Khorramshahr | Missile Threat - CSISPublisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports the claim that Khorramshahr can carry multiple warheads, most likely a submunitions warhead. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Zolfaghar (Dezful, Qasem) | Missile Threat - CSISPublisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports the claim that Zolfaghar can be fitted with a submunition warhead. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Qiam-1 | Missile Threat - CSISPublisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports Qiam-1 as an Iranian short-range ballistic missile with a separating warhead and a listed submunitions warhead option. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Fateh-110 | Missile Threat - CSISPublisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports Fateh-110 as an Iranian road-mobile short-range ballistic missile with submunitions listed among its warhead options. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Commons B-1B Lancer and cluster bombsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain status for the B-1B cluster-munitions image. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Commons IMI Runway Attack MunitionPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY-SA licensing for an Israeli cluster-bomb image that illustrates cluster-warhead function. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Commons ShOAB-0.5 cluster bombletPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY 4.0 licensing for a cluster bomblet image showing the submunition effect. | Accessed: 2026-07-01