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Iranian Foreign Ministry official: US using new ballistic missiles

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by Ryan Mancini - 04/02/26 7:12 PM ET

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by Ryan Mancini - 04/02/26 7:12 PM ET

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A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday the U.S. has a new precision strike missile and used one to kill a group of children on the first day of strikes carried out by the U.S. and Israel.

“The American new #PrSM [precision strike missile], which made its combat debut on 28 February 2026, struck a crowded sports hall filled with innocent teenagers in the city of #Lamerd, Fars Province,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei wrote on the social platform X.

“The attack killed 21 young boys and girls,” he continued. “The missile explodes above its target, dispersing thousands of lethal fragments (tungsten pellets) to maximize human casualties. This is a despicable war crime.”

U.S. Central Command (Centcom) spokesperson Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins said Tuesday the accusation that the PrSMs were used in the Feb. 28 attack on the sports hall and residential area in Lamerd “are false.”

“U.S. forces did not launch any strikes at any time into the city of Lamerd or anywhere within 30 miles during the opening day of Operation Epic Fury,” he said in a statement. “Furthermore, video footage circulated by media outlets alleging U.S. involvement does not show a Precision Strike Missile (PrSM). A PrSM is 13 feet in length. The munition depicted in the video appears to be twice as long, consistent with the dimensions and silhouette of an Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile.”

“U.S. forces do not target civilians, unlike the Iranian regime which has attacked civilian locations in neighboring countries more than 300 times,” Hawkins added.

Weapons experts told The New York Times that the Pentagon started using PrSMs at the start of the conflict with Iran. Centcom showcased the new weapons on Feb. 28, the day the U.S.-Israeli military operation in Iran launched. It is unclear where the missiles have been launched, though other missile-type weapons have been launched from Bahrain or Kuwait into Iran.

The PrSMs are developed by Lockheed Martin in a facility in Camden, Ark., according to a company statement. The missiles are expected to fly more than twice the distance than the U.S. Army’s Army Tactical Missile Systems. It is unclear how many missiles have been produced.

Iran’s accusation comes after President Trump addressed the American people Wednesday night and said that the conflict with Iran is near its end. He warned, however, that the U.S. will “bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong” if there is no deal to end the conflict.

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