It turns out the supposed successful Iranian test of a new missile with the range of 2,000 kilometers over the weekend never happened. Fox:
Iranian state television released video footage Friday claiming to show the launch of a new type of medium-range ballistic missile, a few hours after it was displayed during a military parade in Tehran.
But it turns out Iran never fired a ballistic missile, sources say.
The video released by the Iranians was more than seven months old – dating back to a failed launch in late January, which resulted in the missile exploding shortly after liftoff, according to two U.S. officials.
Not only was the footage supposed to prove it eight months old, but it showed the launch of a missile with just half the range, and one that was tested unsuccessfully as it burned out during re-entry into the atmosphere. (Fox is wrong here, the missile never “exploded”.)
So for now then, 45,000 US troops in the Middle East are not yet in range of Iranian retaliation should the US strike. (Though undoubtedly some just across the Gulf already are.)
The incident once more highlights that Iranian state propaganda can be comically inept at times. For example since 2013 they have been showing off models of a stealth fighter as actual flight-worthy prototypes.
More fundamentally I think it shows just how under threat and desperate to enhance its deterrence ability against US aggression Iran is — to the point it will straight up invent capabilities it does not have.
It also showed just how desperate Trump is to fearmonger about Iran and try and tear of the nuclear agreement US has with Tehran. Which is to say it showed Iran is anything but irrational when it tries to fake weapons that would give Americans pause.
The US pro-establishment media is at the moemnt united in ridiculing Trump for falling for the Iranian fake report. The very same media, however, would be just as united in cheering on an attack on Tehran if he launched one, whether political or military. It did the same during his April strike on Syria which instantaneously rallied the press to his side.