Iran has lifted restrictions on the launch range of its missiles, serving a direct warning to adversaries that could be followed by military strikes.
The removal of the operational range limit was announced by Hossein Mohebi, an official representative of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In comments given to Russian online newspaper Lenta.ru, political analyst Oleg Glazunov called Mohebi's statement a direct warning to anyone seeking war with Iran, pointing out that Tehran currently possesses the weapons needed to respond to foreign aggression.
Glazunov, an associate professor in the Department of Political Analysis at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics in Moscow, noted that neither the United States nor Israel had managed to destroy Iranian missile production facilities. He added that the Islamic Republic has taken major strides in expanding its domestic defence industry, allowing it to maintain missile manufacturing despite international pressure.
Assessment of military capabilities
Reviewing recent regional hostilities, Glazunov explained that the experience of two direct clashes between Israel and Iran demonstrated that Tehran will deploy its missile arsenal only against an aggressor. He stated that Iran will not launch pre-emptive strikes because armed conflict is disadvantageous to the nation, emphasizing that Iranian officials prefer to address and resolve all issues through peaceful diplomatic means.
Tehran is not currently prepared for a large-scale war, Glazunov said, pointing out that the Israeli army maintains superior conventional capabilities over Iranian armed forces. Despite that imbalance, he warned that Iran retains the capacity to launch a counterstrike that could inflict very severe damage on both the Israeli military and the state of Israel as a whole.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was established following the 1979 Iranian revolution as an elite military branch tasked with safeguarding the nation's political system, operating independently of the regular armed forces. The paramilitary force commands Iran's strategic missile programmes. Tehran had previously adhered to a self-imposed 2,000-kilometre limit on the range of its ballistic missiles, which kept regional targets within reach while stopping short of Western European territory.
Warnings over European reach
The broader geographic scope of potential Iranian strikes was underscored earlier in November by Iranian lawmaker Hosseinali Haji Deligani. The member of parliament stated that Iranian missiles would reach Europe in the event of an attack against the country by the United States.
According to Haji Deligani, any Iranian response to American military action would not simply be proportionate. He stated that Tehran's retaliation would instead be massive, repeated, and carried out without regard to geographical considerations, reflecting an expanded posture of deterrence as standoff conditions between Iran and Western powers continue.
