Khaberni - American reports revealed that the "Tomahawk" cruise missile was the weapon used to target the supreme Iranian leader Ali Khamenei in the strike launched by the United States early Saturday.
The Tomahawk missile, manufactured by "Raytheon" (RTX), is a long-range cruise missile launched from ships and submarines. It is about half the length of a standard telephone pole and has a speed comparable to a commercial airliner, with the ability to carry a 1000-pound warhead up to 1553 miles.
This missile has been the "prime choice" for American presidents since the Gulf War in 1991, as it allows for rapid and accurate response without sending pilots into contested airspace or deploying ground forces.
Thomas Karako, the director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic Studies, said, "Year after year, and administration after administration, it is the long-range cruise missile that presidents resort to first in crises."
According to "Fox News", the Tomahawk strike was part of a broader military operation, and the missile had also been used in June 2025 against Iranian nuclear facilities. The United States had deployed two carrier strike groups (USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald Ford) supported by destroyers and cruisers, in addition to over 12 other warships in the region.
The deployment coincided with indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran regarding the controversial Iranian nuclear program. Trump warned that the regime must completely dismantle its nuclear infrastructure or face consequences.
Despite its effectiveness, experts have warned that the intensive use of this missile, which has been deployed more than 2,350 times at a cost of $1.4 million per missile, impacts the American stockpile. Karako said, "We have been using them at a much higher rate than their production."
This revelation comes at a time when the region is experiencing an unprecedented escalation, with the death of Khamenei and dozens of Iranian leaders, and Tehran's vow to retaliate against American and Israeli bases.
