LONDON Ñ An Iranian defense official known as the "father" of the Islamic republic's intermediate- and long-range missile programs has died under mysterious circumstances.

Col Ali Mahmoudi Mimand was found dead in his office in Teheran on late Monday. Iranian authorities are investigating the death and so far have not announced their findings or ruled out speculation that he was assassinated.

Mimand was a leading official in the Defense Ministry. He was regarded as the chief developer of Iran's Shihab-3 missile, Middle East Newsline reported. The missile has a range of 1,300 kilometers and is capable of striking targets in Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Conflicting reports have been issued over how Mimand died. The state-run Iranian television said Mimand died of a heart failure. Another report quoted by the prominent London-based A-Sharq Al Awsat said the official died in an explosion during a ground test of the Shihab-3 missile.

The official, honored for his work by Iranian supreme leader Ali Khameni, was also a developer of Iran's long-range Shihab-4 missile, with a range of up to 2,400 kilometers and a planner of the Shihab-5 missile. The Shihab-5 aims for a range of at least 5,000 kilometers. Mimand was also said to be developing missiles meant to down such U.S. helicopters as the Cobra and the Bell.

Mimand was also said to have headed the development team of the Zalzal solid-fuel rocket. The rocket was tested in June and is regarded as the most advanced in the Iranian arsenal. The Shihab-3 is a liquid-fuel rocket.

Print this Article

Email this article

Free Headline Alerts