IRGC-linked outlet says Iran could develop missiles that reach US
Iran’s Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, suggested Saturday that Tehran could develop missiles capable of striking the United States. Tasnim pointed to an order attributed to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei calling for an "immediate and effective response without geographical limitations" to threats against Iran. The agency said the directive could signal that Tehran is prepared to drop its previously stated 2,000-kilometer limit on missile range.
The outlet argued that longer-range missiles could put US bases in parts of Europe within reach. It estimated that reaching the US East Coast would require a range of roughly 10,000 kilometers. Last week, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had abandoned its longstanding 2,000-kilometer restriction on ballistic missile ranges, raising the possibility that Tehran could pursue weapons capable of striking targets considerably farther from its borders.
Speaking at a news conference in Tehran and quoted by The Associated Press , IRGC spokesman Gen. Hossein Mohebbi confirmed the policy change when questioned about the previous range limitation. “That restriction has been lifted for us," Mohebbi said. The announcement followed a warning earlier in the week from Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khomeini, who threatened that “any kind and level of threat" from the United States or Israel would be met with a response unrestricted by geography.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article presents Iran's lifting of its missile range limit as a reply to "threats" from the US or Israel. It never says that US forces struck Iran on 2 November and again days later, during a war on Iran. Without this, a reader may take the announcement as escalation against words, not against recent attacks.
How we know
- Our analysis“On 2 November, the eve of the vote, US forces struck Iran's Qeshm Island.”The Nothing-to-Lose Attitude After the Midterms: Will Trump Escalate the War on Iran?
- Our analysis“On Friday, US forces struck Iran again”The Nothing-to-Lose Attitude After the Midterms: Will Trump Escalate the War on Iran?
Iran is not currently known to possess ballistic missiles with ranges exceeding 2,000 kilometers. However, American officials have previously warned that technology developed through Tehran's space program could potentially be adapted for intercontinental ballistic missiles. In February, Iranian news agency Fars, which is aligned with the Iranian government, reported that the Khorramshahr-4 missile was deployed for the first time in underground facilities, referred to in Iran as "missile cities," belonging to the IRGC.
According to the report, this is one of the newest and most powerful missiles in the Iranian arsenal, and its placement in these facilities is intended to enhance the operational capabilities and readiness of the ballistic missile systems. According to the report, the missile can reach speeds of up to 16 times the speed of sound, estimated at tens of thousands of kilometers per hour outside the atmosphere, and around Mach 8 inside the atmosphere.
These figures, according to the agency, shorten the time to reach the target in Israel to about 10-12 minutes from launch. The Khorramshahr-4, first revealed in May 2023 and also known as "Kheiber," is classified as a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM). According to open sources, it is a single-stage, liquid-fueled missile with a declared range of about 2,000 kilometers. This range places it in the category of missiles capable of reaching targets across the Middle East
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