Iran no longer considers itself bound by a self-imposed 2,000-km (1,200-mile) limit on the range of its ballistic missiles, a spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said. Iranian officials recently warned that Tehran would target military installations in Europe used by American forces, should the US and Israel attack the country again.
Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi said during a press conference on Saturday that “this restriction [on the range of ballistic missiles] has been lifted for us.” He stopped short of providing further details, noting that the Iranian military is currently focused on “demonstrating these capabilities in practice.”
While the Islamic Republic is not known to have in its arsenal missiles capable of reaching targets beyond the 2,000-km range, US officials believe the country possesses the technologies needed to build intercontinental ballistic missiles, as reported by the Associated Press.
However, even that range means that parts of Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and the entire Middle East are already within reach of Iranian missiles.
Mohebbi also said on Saturday that the
The Iranian military is preparing to unveil “surprises… on the battlefield” if a new round of military confrontation erupts with the US and Israel.
“They should know that Iran’s next blows will be even harder,” the IRGC representative warned.
Speaking to RT on Monday, Ezzatollah Zarghami, a member of the Iranian government’s Council on Cyberspace, explained that given the changing nature and scope of the threats potentially facing the Islamic Republic, “we will naturally redefine our defense capabilities and policies accordingly.”
“It is natural that we will no longer impose geographical limitations… or our defense capabilities,” he said.
Last week, Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of the Iranian parliament’s security committee, told Euronews that “if America uses its bases in Europe, including in Italy and Germany, Iran’s missiles will be fired towards Europe.”
Around the same time, the IRGC issued a statement that quoted Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as pledging an “effective response without geographical limits to every level and type of threat.” He also reportedly ordered military commanders to update Iran’s “target bank” to include the “enemy’s material and non-material assets within range.”
US President Donald Trump on Sunday told CNN that renewed strikes on Iran are “highly unlikely,” provided that Tehran signs a “very strong agreement” with Washington.
Trump, however, indicated that US forces in the region are ready to resume hostilities if deemed necessary, with a list of targets prepared.