By Pishtaz and AFP | 2023-09-19

TEHRAN -- An Iranian projectile that veered off course during a military test fell Monday (September 18) in the north of the country, wounding two people, officials and local media said.

The incident took place when Iran's military was conducting tests for its drone and attack systems in a desert region before the projectile experienced a technical problem and deviated from its path.

The type of projectile was not immediately clear, with some local media reporting it to be a drone while others said it was a missile.

The projectile "disintegrated and its parts fell on the city of Gorgan," the provincial capital of the northern province of Golestan, ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik said.

"Two people were wounded," ISNA news agency reported, quoting provincial official Ali Mohajer.

Local media shared footage showing the cordoned-off area where the debris had fallen, showing shops and cars in the vicinity that sustained heavy damage.

Iranian media quoted a Golestan official earlier as saying the fallen object was a drone, and added two civilians were injured in the incident.

In Gorgan, a city with a population of about 350,000 people, residents said they heard a loud noise when parts of the debris hit one of the city's main streets.

'Failures and embarrassments'

Iran, which has developed a vast domestic arms industry with a large arsenal of missiles and drones, has been heavily criticized for exporting various types of drones and drone technology to Russia.

Russia has been using Iranian drones in attacks on Ukraine that have targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Though Iran has boasted about its "integrated missile network" and missile advancements, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has a long history of missile failures and embarrassments.

Insufficient attention to missile safety protocol, dilapidated equipment and outdated technology have contributed to this track record of failure.

Iran's record, particularly over the last decade, shows a cavalier attitude towards safeguards, proper use and training with regard to its ballistic missile technology.

Most of Iran's military technology is reverse engineered or purchased from Russia, China or North Korea, which do not provide enough training or support to prevent injury, a retired Iranian navy analyst told Pishtaz.

Iran's space programme, which employs rockets as space launch vehicles (SLVs), has also had successive failures in recent years.

In June 2021, one of Iran's largest naval ships sank after catching fire while on a "training mission" off a strategic port near the head of the Gulf of Oman.

Two days earlier, an ejector seat malfunctioned on an Iranian F-4 from the 1960s which was being repaired, and two pilots were killed in the incident, which the government later described as a technical issue.

More recently, Iran's plans to update its greatly outdated air force fleet appear to have run aground, with a planned purchase of Russian fighter jets seemingly on ice amid the Ukraine war, and domestic plans to develop a stealth fighter stalled.