Iran: No plans to increase missile range

Iran currently has no plans to increase the range of its missiles, the head of the Revolutionary Guards said today, noting that the current 2,000 kilometre missile range was enough to protect the Islamic Republic.

“We have the scientific ability to increase our missile range, but it is not our current policy since most of the enemies’ strategic targets are already within this 2,000 kilometre range. This range is enough to protect the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

Iran’s missile capabilities have come in to question once again following US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. The US said it wishes to limit Iran’s capabilities to only short range missiles with a range of only 300 kilometres or below.

Iran strongly opposes any new limitations. It’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, while refusing to make any further concessions, told the FT last month “Neither the range nor the performance of our missiles are longer or more extensive than those of our neighbours so it is basically a violation of our right to self-defence to ask us to abandon our means of self-defence.”

Read: Iran missile production spikes three-fold