Profile
- Type
- Short-range ballistic missile
- Conflict side
- Iran
- Origin
- Iran
- Service note
- 2017-present
Artillery
Zolfaghar Ballistic Missile
The Zolfaghar is an Iranian road-mobile, solid-fuel short-range ballistic missile in the Fateh family, with a reported 700 km range. It fits the United States-Iran Conflict archive through Iran's January 2020 ballistic-missile retaliation against U.S. forces at Ayn al Asad airbase.
- Conflict side
- Iran
- Built by
- Iranian defense industry
- Built in
- Iran
Service History
- In service
- 2017-present
- Used by
- Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force
- Wars
- United States-Iran Conflict, Syrian Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- Iranian defense industry
- Designed
- Unveiled in 2016
- Built by
- Iranian defense industry
- Built in
- Iran
- Variants
- Zolfaghar, Zolfaghar Basir, Dezful, Qasem
Specifications
- Class
- Short-range ballistic missile
- Range
- 700 km for Zolfaghar; longer-range Dezful and Qasem derivatives are reported at 1,000 km and 1,400 km
- Warhead
- 500+ kg high explosive or submunitions
- Propulsion
- Single-stage solid propellant for Zolfaghar and Dezful
- Length
- 10.3 m
- Diameter
- 0.6 m for Zolfaghar and Dezful
- Launch platform
- Road-mobile launcher
Conflict Usage
- United States-Iran Conflict
- Side: IranRole: Retaliatory short-range ballistic missile strike
During the United States-Iran Conflict, Iran used Zolfaghar ballistic missiles in the January 2020 strike on Ayn al Asad airbase after the U.S. killing of Qassem Soleimani, according to the Iran Primer.
Related Weapon Systems
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9K720 IskanderRoad-mobile tactical ballistic and cruise missile systemThe 9K720 Iskander is a Russian road-mobile tactical missile system that launches short-range ballistic missiles and, in Iskander-K configuration, ground-launched cruise missiles. In the Russia-Ukraine War it has served as one of Russia's principal precision-strike systems for attacks beyond the immediate front line.
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BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack MissileShip- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missileThe BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, often abbreviated TLAM, is a U.S. all-weather, long-range subsonic cruise missile used by naval forces for deep precision strikes from surface ships and submarines. Modern Block IV and Block V weapons combine low-altitude flight, GPS-aided navigation, terrain matching, and in-flight retargeting, with recent documented use in Syria, the 2018 Syria Missile Strikes, Yemen, the Red Sea Crisis, and U.S. strikes on Iran..jpg?width=480)
Fateh-313 ballistic missileShort-range ballistic missileThe Fateh-313 is an Iranian road-mobile, solid-fueled short-range ballistic missile built by the Aerospace Industries Organization. Open-source assessments say Iran likely used it against U.S. forces in Iraq during the January 2020 phase of the United States-Iran Conflict.Sources
Zolfaghar (Dezful, Qasem)Publisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports Zolfaghar origin, Fateh-family background, service status, variants, propulsion, warhead, dimensions, and range. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Iran's Ballistic Missile ProgramPublisher: The Iran Primer / United States Institute of Peace | Note: Supports United States-Iran Conflict direct used by Iran context: the Iran Primer says a majority of the Zolfaghar missiles struck key targets during the January 2020 Ayn al Asad airbase attack. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Fateh-110 Family MissilePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the Zolfaghar/Fateh-family parade image; Wikimedia Commons lists the file under CC BY 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20