AZE.US
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has announced that Tehran’s self-imposed 2,000-kilometer, or about 1,200-mile, limit on the range of its ballistic missiles no longer applies.
Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi, an IRGC spokesman, made the statement at a news conference in Tehran, Vesti Baku reports, citing The Associated Press.
Asked whether Iran’s leadership directive to respond to threats without geographic restrictions meant the previous missile-range limit had been lifted, Mohebbi said the restriction was no longer in force.
He did not say whether Iran has developed or deployed missiles capable of traveling more than 2,000 kilometers. Mohebbi said new capabilities should be demonstrated in practice rather than through public statements.
What the Decision Changes
Iran had long said it voluntarily limited the range of its ballistic missiles to 2,000 kilometers. That distance is sufficient to reach Israel, U.S. military facilities across much of the Middle East, the entire Arabian Peninsula and parts of southeastern Europe.
Removing the political limit gives Tehran the option to develop longer-range systems, but it does not establish that such missiles already exist. There is no confirmed evidence that Iran currently possesses an operational ballistic missile with a range exceeding 2,000 kilometers.
U.S. officials have previously said technology used in Iran’s space program could theoretically be adapted to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles. Iran has not publicly confirmed possessing such a weapon.
Regional Tensions
The IRGC statement followed a warning by Iran’s supreme leader that any new threat from the United States or Israel would receive an immediate response without geographic limits.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that military commanders were also instructed to update a list of possible targets. The report reflects the Iranian side’s account and does not demonstrate that a specific strike has been planned.
The decision adds uncertainty around Iran’s missile program amid continuing confrontation with the United States and Israel. The next major indication of a change in capability would be the testing or deployment of a missile with a range beyond the previous limit.