Photograph: Mahmud Hams/Getty ImagesWhen an Iranian ballistic missile launcher breaks cover to dash towards a firing site, its tiny cabin suddenly becomes one of the world’s most perilous places. Farzin Nadimi, an expert on the Iranian missile programme at the Washington Institute, said: “This is the most dangerous job on earth right now. They are indispensable assets that Tehran must keep if it is to continue firing the ballistic missiles, its most potent weapons. “The entire war effort of the Iranian regime depends on them.”Iranian ballistic missile crews are among the most ideologically committed within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “Even if the Iranians are committed to making Mad Max missile launchers, it is going to be difficult,” said Lair of the James Martin Center.

Source: The Irish Times March 09, 2026 06:08 UTC