Iranian 'zigzag missile' which US can't stop | Decoding Iran's deadly missile tactics

Iran may have not defeated the United States in the missile war but it may have forced Washington to use its critical weapons at a dangerous rate. New reports suggest that the American air defense system may have reached depletion in that fight and the Iranians have refined new missiles that are able to change course while flying. Now the next report brings you a closer look at the situation in West Asia. The most important battle may not have been decided by missiles that hit their targets. It may have been decided by the missiles America had to fire. During the final stages of the U.S.-Iran conflict two weeks ago, Iranian forces changed how they attacked American bases. Waves of drones and ballistic missiles were combined with more difficult flight profiles, forcing American air defense crews to react repeatedly. And then came a remarkable claim. Iran's revolutionary guards said some of its missiles can now change course during flight using guidance systems to alter their trajectory and bypass air defense systems. Tehran says the capability was used during the recent conflict. Missiles change course mid-air using on-board guidance systems, aerodynamic control surfaces like fins and wings and thrust vectoring to alter their flight path dynamically. This maneuverability helps them evade enemy air defenses, avoid the incoming interceptors and hit their targets with overwhelming force. The tactic forced American forces in the Gulf to expend scarce interceptor missiles. Iran also refined its use of drones and missiles as a combined attack. Drones could force defenders to engage, missiles could follow. In June, Iran launched waves of drones and missiles against three U.S. bases in Jordan. One later strike on July 17 hit a housing unit at a U.S. base, reportedly killing three American service members. After heavy fighting over the last five months, the U.S. forces have severely depleted their arsenal. Reuters reported that the U.S. Army had used virtually all of its highly accurate long-range missiles during the five-month conflict. Experts say that the Iranian forces are closely studying another war. In Ukraine, Russia has been using combinations of ballistic and cruise missiles to distract Ukrainian air defenses and then rushed in drones. The effect has been deadly and devastating. The same tactic has been applied by Iran while taking on a much bigger adversary. IRGC now says that Iranian forces must be able to expand their operations and carry out missions far beyond Iran's borders. Whenever the situation demands and the order is issued, we must be capable of extending operations into enemy territory and conducting missions far from our own land. These are the characteristics of an offensive doctrine that must be realized. The IRGC is now tasked with achieving this readiness and developing the capability to execute such operations at the appropriate time. No one thought that Iran could resist in this way against America, with the Israeli regime accompanying it and the support of many other countries, including all Western countries and some other countries that we all know and not bow its head and ultimately force the enemy to ask for negotiations. The rhetoric from Iran is rising. That doesn't mean Iran defeated America's military. It means Tehran exposed a different vulnerability. A missile can cost less than the interceptor needed to stop it. Multiply that across hundreds of launches and the defender faces a brutal choice. Keep firing expensive interceptors or accept greater risk. The U.S. president, who has claimed repeatedly that Iranian military has been completely destroyed, now says that it is the U.S. which has complete control over the Strait of Hormuz. We have total control over the Hormuz Strait right now. They don't have control. We have total control. We own it. And at some point, maybe they'll do something and then they get blown away. But we right now we're in a very good position. We have a country that has been the bully of the Middle East for 50 years, really 51. If you think about it, we've been saying 47 for four years and they're no longer the bully of the Middle East. Iran has been attacked by the most powerful weapons by the world's most powerful military. The aim was to cripple the Iranian military. But Iran continues to strike back with fire and fury. Most of Iran's missiles and launchers were hidden in underground facilities heavily bombed by U.S. and Israeli forces. Iran later restored many sites and resumed attacks, disrupting shipping industry to Hormuz and threatening U.S. troops in the region. Now, more than two weeks later, the missiles are silent. The bombing has halted, but the strategic pressure remains. Iran has demonstrated what it can do with massed missile and drone attacks. America has demonstrated how much ammunition such a campaign can consume. And if the fighting returns, the next battle may be decided not only by who can launch more missiles, it may be decided by who can afford to stop them.