New US Missile Linked to Civilian Deaths Far From Blast Zone in Iran

A recent conflict monitoring report suggests that the US military's new Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), a weapon promoted for its accuracy, may have caused extensive civilian casualties during its alleged first combat use in Iran. The incident, which occurred in the southern city of Lamerd on February 28, resulted in the deaths of at least 21 people, including seven children, according to Iranian officials.

Investigations by the conflict monitoring organization Airwars, supported by defense analysts and former military personnel, indicate that three missiles detonated over an athletic center and two residential neighborhoods. This powerful new weapon, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is designed to explode in mid-air, propelling tens of thousands of dense metallic pellets at extreme velocity in all directions.

This design appears to have dispersed a cloud of deadly shrapnel across broad distances, leading to fatalities as far as 164 feet (50 meters) from the airburst points.

Visual evidence analyzed by Airwars and cross-referenced by The Associated Press, including photographs, recordings, and orbital imagery, reveals widespread surface pitting on structures, roads, and vehicles. Experts identify this as a signature blast footprint consistent with the PrSM's capabilities.

Structural damage from the strikes reportedly extended more than three times beyond the lethal range.

While American defense authorities have confirmed launching PrSMs within Iran on the specified date, they have explicitly denied any involvement in the specific strikes that occurred in Lamerd. The intended target of these controversial strikes in Lamerd remains unknown, although an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facility was located nearby, satellite imagery showed no damage to it.

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