Ghadr-380

The Ghadr-380 is a medium-range Ballistic missile derived from the Shahab-3/Nodong family, developed by Iran and first unveiled in 2014. It represents a significant upgrade over earlier Shahab variants: improved accuracy, a separating warhead, and a range of 2,000 kilometres, sufficient to reach US regional bases from Iranian territory without crossing adversary airspace.

The Ghadr-380 entered the Iran conflict as a long-range strike weapon when the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it struck a US destroyer in the Indian Ocean alongside Talaeieh Cruise Missiles, alleging widespread fires on the vessel and an accompanying tanker — a claim the Pentagon neither confirmed nor denied. Subsequently, Ghadr multiple-warhead variants were deployed in the 61st wave of Operation True Promise 4, targeting the Tel Aviv area alongside Khorramshahr and Kheibarshekan projectiles.

The Ghadr-380 sits at the centre of Iran's deterrence calculus: capable enough to threaten US carrier groups and Gulf bases, yet deniable enough to avoid triggering an immediate preemptive response. Its claimed use against a US Navy vessel would mark the first confirmed missile hit on an American warship in modern warfare, a threshold that would transform the conflict's legal and strategic character.