September 15, 2023
The Islamic Republic has accused Israel of trying to sabotage Iran’s ballistic missile and drone programs with explosive parts that would disable the weapons.
Iran made it sound like something new, although news reports going back decades have reported that Israel and the United States have been delivering defective parts for ages with few doubting the truth of the assertions.
State television said the explosive parts are circular electronic “connectors” used to attach components to a missile or drone and pass both signals and electricity. They are small and could not carry much explosive, but it doesn’t take much to disable a missile or drone.
One problem for Iran is that it has long claimed that it is fully self-sufficient when it comes to military needs and does not import anything. Now, it is admitting it has imported components. In fact, the very same day that Iran charged Israel with sabotaging the connectors, the commander of Iran’s Army, Major General Abdolrahim Musavi, stated flatly, “Iran’s armed forces are not dependent on other countries to meet their needs in the defense field.” He said that when a country relies on others for its defense needs, it limits its own range of options. The US, however, imports many foreign weapons when it finds they provide options the US does not otherwise possess.
The TV broadcast did not say when it uncovered the explosive connectors or reveal if any damage had been done to equipment. Nor did it say how much Iran spent buying the sabotaged equipment. The broadcast did say the plot was the “biggest” sabotage scheme ever launched against Iran.
It is not easy to stick Iran’s military with sabotaged equipment since Iran does not buy military gear directly. It uses front companies in other countries to buy the equipment and ship it through third countries.
