An Iranian infographic says the Ghaem-100 satellite launch vehicle could be used to carry a nuclear warhead. (Iran Metropolis News Agency)

The Ghaem-100 satellite launch vehicle (SLV) that Iran unveiled on 5 November could be used as an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), the British, French, and German governments said in a joint letter to the United Nations Security Council.

“Modelling and simulation of the elements constituting the Ghaem-100 indicate that, if converted to a ballistic missile role and equipped with a 500 kg warhead, it would provide Iran with a rapid route to an intermediate-range ballistic missile,” they said in the letter, which was released on 29 November.

It did not give a specific figure, but IRBMs are generally classified as having ranges between 3,000 and 5,500 km, meaning one based on the Ghaem-100 would be able to reach Berlin and possibly cover all of Europe.

The letter noted that the Ghaem-100 was launched by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), which includes Iran’s strategic missile force, using a mobile launcher, and demonstrated an “extensive crossover of technologies with the development of long-range ballistic missiles”.