Iran's new hypersonic ballistic missile is able to reach "Tel Aviv" in less than four minutes, the Tehran Times news website reported on Friday.

Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the Aerospace Division chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), announced on Thursday that Iran has built a hypersonic ballistic missile that can penetrate advanced aerial defense shields and hit specific targets. 

"The missile has a great velocity and can maneuver both in and out of the Earth's atmosphere," Hajizadeh told reporters.

"The new missile can pass through all missile defense systems, and I don't think that the technology capable of intercepting it will be achieved in the decades to come," he pointed out.

The senior Iranian commander underlined that the new missile "can target the enemy's anti-missile systems, and its production marks a huge generational leap in the development of a new generation of missiles."

The commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force has announced
Iran has developed hypersonic ballistic missiles that can't be countered by any missile defense system.

Remember how in the past western media & elites would sneer and claim Iranian military achievements were photoshopped? pic.twitter.com/MOuFHVpsJr

— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) November 10, 2022

The Tehran Times said the new hypersonic missile can fly at more than five times the speed of sound (at a rate of 3,800 mph), adding that it is more advanced than the Sejil missile.

While Sejil is able to reach "Tel Aviv" in less than seven minutes if launched from Natanz, according to the Iranian news website, the new hypersonic missile can reach the same destination in less than four minutes.

Hajizadeh told Tasnim news agency on Friday that the missile has been tested, adding that it will be unveiled "in the future and in a proper time."

Commenting on the announcement, Marina Miron, a research fellow from the Defense Studies Department at King's College London, pointed out that "the problem is now the U.S. is still struggling with its hypersonic missiles and now all of a sudden Iran has its first hypersonic missile—so that changes the balance of power." 

"To intercept a hypersonic missile, you would need special space satellites or a space sensor," she told Newsweek, highlighting that "at this very stage, there is no defense against hypersonic missiles so it increases the threat to countries which are located within range."

Miron considered that "it's going to have some serious implications on the balance of power, not only in the Middle East but just generally in the world."

In the same context, the US Department of Defense Spokesperson for the Middle East region, Army Lieutenant Colonel Rob Lodewick, claimed that the Pentagon is "well aware" of the reporting and remains "skeptical".

"As always, we will refrain from disclosure of intelligence reporting and assessments on such sensitive topics," Lodewick told Fox News Digital, adding, "We continue to closely monitor Iran’s development and proliferation of advanced missiles and associated technology."

Read more: Iran will not let enemies’ crimes go unanswered: Salami