A newly inducted American missile was likely used for the first time in a strike on civilian areas in southern Iran last month, according to an analysis by an international media outlet.
The strike targeted residential buildings and a sports hall in Lamerd, a town in Fars province, on February 28. Iranian state media, citing officials, reported that at least 21 people were killed in multiple strikes carried out on the same day.
Footage of the incident, authenticated and geolocated by the international media outlet, shows a projectile in flight moments before it detonates above the target area.
Analysts said that the projectile is likely a Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), a long-range system that entered service in 2023. Experts pointed to the missile’s shape, size of the blast and absence of visible nose-mounted controls as indicators.
Three analysts from defence intelligence company Janes and one expert from McKenzie Intelligence assessed the footage and concluded that the characteristics match those of the PrSM.
Amael Kotlarski, an analyst with Jane stated that based on the missile’s features and the distance from potential US launch sites in the region, the PrSM is likely the only munition in the US arsenal capable of striking Lamerd.
McKenzie Intelligence noted that the town falls within the extended range of the missile and added that US Central Command had previously acknowledged using the system in strikes from a Gulf location during the early phase of the conflict.
The intended target of the strike may have been an installation linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) located near the sports hall. Satellite imagery reviewed days after the strike showed the facility remained undamaged.
United States Central Command declined to comment on the Lamerd strike.
The attack took place on the opening day of the conflict, hours after a separate strike on a school in Minab that Iranian authorities said killed at least 168 people, including around 110 children.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the Minab incident was under investigation and maintained that US forces “never target civilian targets”.
The PrSM, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is a next-generation surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a reported range of up to 500 kilometres. It replaces the ATACMS, which has a shorter range and has previously been used in other conflicts.
Videos reviewed of the Lamerd strike also indicate a near-simultaneous hit on a sports hall located around 300 metres from the residential buildings. One clip shows a road with passing vehicles before an explosion engulfs the structure, sending shockwaves across nearby buildings.