The Acher al-Zaman has a longer range than Iran’s Fattah missiles and delivers a much heavier payload. So much so that if enough were used they could pose existential threat to the Zionist state

Brandon J. Weichert – The National Interest Aug 27, 2025

In the modern age of instability around the world, just as one conflict seems to settle, another one rips open. In June of this year, the so-called “12-Day War” erupted between the predominantly Jewish democracy of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran. It ended only after the United States Air Force carried out “Operation Midnight Hammer,” a technically complex attack involving B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers, against Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons development facilities. Even those strikes had questionable effectiveness; independent analysts speculated that they had set back Iran’s nuclear program for a period of six months to two years, but had failed to destroy it once and for all, as President Donald Trump initially proclaimed.

Israel and Iran Are on the Brink of War—Again

For the Trump administration, it was clear that the strikes were the end of the 12-Day War. But for Israel and Iran, that was merely the appetizer to the larger war. After all, both Iran and Israel have plans for regional hegemony—and both countries view each other as impediments to those grand goals.

Both Israel and Iran have been rearming and preparing for another round of hostilities since the end of the war. Trita Parsi, a vice president at the Quincy Institute, speculates that the conflict is set to resume sometime in the fall.

Toward that end, it isn’t only Israel that is on a weapons purchasing and producing spree. Iran, despite all the bombings it was subjected to in the last war, has demonstrated that its underground missile cities were mostly untouched. Further, the now-ousted Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) chief already leaked to the press that the B-2 airstrikes were not as effective against those hardened Iranian nuclear sites as the Trump administration had claimed.

Iran’s Hypersonic Weapons Arsenal

Now the Iranians are displaying their most potent weapon yet as a form of deterrence against a renewed round of airstrikes by Israel. Known as the “Acher al-Zaman” (sometimes translated as “End of Time” or “Apocalypse”), this hypersonic missile has sparked intense debates among defense analysts since it was unveiled by Iran’s military. If the Iranian claims about their new hypersonic missile are true, then, it could represent the greatest strategic threat to Israel’s security in the near future.

Iran’s hypersonic weapons development program gained traction in the early 2000s with missiles, like the Shahab-3, providing Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) with various medium-range strike options. By 2023, Iran introduced the Fattah-1 and Fattah–2 hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs), boasting speeds up to Mach 15 and ranges of 869 to 1,243 miles. By maneuvering unpredictably in flight, these Iranian hypersonic weapons were designed to penetrate advanced air defenses, such as Israel’s vaunted Iron Dome and Arrow air defense networks.

The Fattah series was first combat tested in June 2025 during Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel, where hypersonic missiles reportedly overwhelmed defenses, causing significant damage to military and civilian targets.

Of course, Israeli media largely declined to share this news at the time. But the significant damage—and consternation among Israeli defense officials—caused by Iran’s advanced hypersonic weapons cannot be denied anymore. And that was just a teaser of what the Iranian systems that are rapidly advancing can do.

Keep in mind that neither Israel nor the United States possess a defensive system against these weapons—the Iron Dome is intended for far slower and more rudimentary rockets, not hypersonic missiles—or their own reliable counterparts.

Understanding the Acher al-Zaman

The Acher al-Zaman, Iran’s newest hypersonic weapon, was tested during Iran’s first major military drill since the 12-Day War ended. The Acher al-Zaman is a hypersonic weapon capable of carrying up to 80 warheads, each weighing 70 kilograms, for a total payload that delivers “colossal destructive power.”

Unconfirmed reports suggest the new Iranian hypersonic weapon can attain speeds exceeding Mach 12, with a range of around 3,000 kilometers, allowing it to strike targets across the region with minimal warning time. Indeed, the name “Apocalypse” underscores the weapon’s symbolic role in Iran’s military doctrine, signaling a shift in Iran’s doctrine that leverages speed and multiplicity to overwhelm adversaries.

Hypersonic missiles such as the Acher al-Zaman operate by combining ballistic trajectories with glide phases, achieving velocities five times the speed of sound. Their ability to alter course mid-flight makes them extraordinarily difficult to detect and intercept, evading radar and missile shields.

Unlike traditional ballistic missiles, which follow predictable arcs, hypersonic weapons glide through the atmosphere, reducing reaction windows for defenses to mere minutes. Iran’s advancements in solid-fuel propulsion and maneuverable reentry vehicles (MaRVs) enhance this capability, potentially rendering systems like America’s Patriot or Israel’s David’s Sling missile defenses less effective.

The threat to Israel is, therefore, acute. With a range covering the distance from Tehran to Tel Aviv, the Acher al-Zaman could reach Israeli territory in under 10 minutes, leaving little time for evacuation or countermeasures.

During the June 2025 exchanges, Iran’s use of Fattah hypersonics pierced Israeli air defenses, hitting sites in Bnei Brak and Tel Aviv, resulting in civilian casualties and infrastructure damage. The Acher al-Zaman’s multi-warhead design amplifies this risk, enabling saturation attacks that could overwhelm Israel’s multi-layered defenses.

A Warning to Israel and the United States 

Analysts speculate that a full-scale barrage could target key assets like Dimona’s nuclear reactor or Haifa’s ports, escalating the conflict to existential levels. Iranian officials have framed the missile as a deterrent against Israeli aggression, but its deployment signals a strategic pivot toward offensive posturing as both sides prepare for the next round of warfare.

Equally concerning is the missile’s implications for US military bases in the Mideast. US ases in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates all fall within the range of Iran’s new hypersonic missile, making them vulnerable to rapid strikes. The US has bolstered regional defenses with the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and carrier groups, but hypersonic weapons challenge these defensive systems. In past incidents, Iranian proxies have targeted US forces from close range with drones and missiles; the Acher al-Zaman could enable direct strikes from Iran, risking broader escalation.

A US Department of Defense assessment highlights Iran’s “large quantity” of advanced missiles as a growing threat, potentially drawing American forces into a wider war if Israel is attacked.

Skeptics, on the other hand, argue that true hypersonic mastery requires advanced materials and testing that Iran may lack. What’s more, those dubious of Iran’s claims argue that the multi-warhead feature resembles MIRV technology that Iranian forces have yet to demonstrate.

It is important to remember, though, that Iran has already demonstrated a proficient level of advancement in this domain; to dismiss the danger of the Acher al-Zaman as mere bluster would be a mistake..

What Can Israel Do Against Iran’s Hypersonic Threat?

In response to Iran’s growing hypersonic weapon threat, the Israelis are expanding their development of the Iron Beam program, which is a directed energy weapon (DEW) missile defense system. In other words, Israel is developing giant lasers that would conceivably be able to burn incoming hypersonic missiles out of the sky.

The United States, with its even larger Golden Dome initiative, is doing something similar. Yet Western militaries have struggled with developing DEWs over the decades. And many of these programs are stuck in “development hell.” Thus, it will be some time before either Israel, or the US canrely on these fantastical defenses. Meanwhile, Iran has hypersonic weapons now.

Iran’s Acher al-Zaman hypersonic missile epitomizes the escalating arms race in the Middle East, blending technological prowess with psychological warfare. Its potential to threaten Israel and US bases underscores the urgent need for diplomatic de-escalation.

As regional powers arm themselves with increasingly sophisticated weapons, the risk of miscalculation grows, potentially igniting a conflict with global repercussions. Monitoring Iran’s missile advancements remains crucial for maintaining precarious peace in the region—and Israel may want to rethink its commitment to restarting a war against Iran.

Brandon J. Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest. Recently, Weichert became the host of The National Security Hour on America Outloud News and iHeartRadio, where he discusses national security policy every Wednesday at 8pm Eastern. He is also a contributor at Popular Mechanics and has consulted regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues.

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