Iran abandons 2,000km limit on ballistic missiles

Iran has announced the removal of its self-imposed 2,000-kilometre limit on the range of its ballistic missiles, raising concerns over the possibility of Tehran developing weapons capable of striking targets farther beyond the Middle East.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC, Iran’s powerful military force, said the restriction had been lifted amid escalating tensions with the United States and Israel and fears of a renewed military confrontation.

The IRGC spokesman, Brigadier-General Hossein Mohebbi, announced the decision during a news conference in Tehran on Saturday, November 7.

Asked whether the country would continue observing the 2,000-kilometre missile range restriction, Mohebbi said the limitation no longer applied.

“That restriction has been lifted for us,” he said, adding that Iran would demonstrate its military capabilities in practice rather than through public statements.

However, he did not disclose whether Iran already possessed operational ballistic missiles capable of travelling beyond the previous range limit.

The announcement marks a significant shift in Iran’s publicly stated missile policy, which had maintained the 2,000-kilometre ceiling as a self-imposed restriction.

According to reports by the Associated Press, Iran’s existing missile range already places the entire Arabian Peninsula, the Levant and most of Egypt within striking distance, alongside parts of southeastern Europe, including Greece and the Balkans.

The removal of the restriction could potentially allow Tehran to pursue longer-range missile development, although there is no publicly confirmed evidence that Iran currently possesses operational ballistic missiles exceeding the 2,000-kilometre range.

The development comes amid heightened hostilities between Iran, the United States and Israel.

Days before the announcement, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that any form or level of threat from Washington or Tel Aviv would attract a response without geographical limitations.

The statement reinforced concerns that Tehran could expand the geographical scope of its military response if attacked.

Iran’s missile announcement also comes against the backdrop of growing international concerns over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Although ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons are separate military capabilities, Western governments have repeatedly expressed concerns that Iran’s missile technology could potentially be adapted to deliver nuclear warheads if the country develops them.

US officials have also warned that technologies developed through Iran’s space programme could be repurposed to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of travelling much greater distances.

In March, Britain accused Iran of firing missiles towards the joint US-UK military base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, approximately 4,000 kilometres from Iranian territory.

Tehran denied targeting the base.

The incident nevertheless renewed concerns about the potential reach of Iran’s missile programme and its ability to threaten military installations outside the immediate Middle East.

In 2019, Britain, France and Germany also expressed concerns about Iran’s missile development, citing assessments that a lighter-warhead version of its Khorramshahr missile could potentially achieve a range of approximately 3,000 kilometres.

However, Iran has not publicly demonstrated an operational intercontinental ballistic missile capability.