Iran lifts self-imposed limit on missile range: IRGC

Iran has lifted its self-imposed policy of limiting the range of its ballistic missiles to 2,000 kilometres, the spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Saturday.

Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi made the announcement at a news conference in Tehran on November 7. Asked whether the restriction had been removed, he said the limitation no longer applied to Iran.

However, Mohebbi did not specify the types of missiles Iran possesses or their potential range. He said the country would demonstrate its capabilities in practice rather than through statements.

The announcement came days after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei warned that Tehran would respond to any threats from the United States or Israel without geographical limitations, according to an Associated Press report.

With a range of 2,000 kilometres, Iranian missiles can reach the entire Arabian Peninsula, countries in the Levant, most of Egypt, and parts of Greece and the Balkans. Removing the restriction could allow Iran to pursue missiles capable of striking targets farther away in the future.

However, there is no known evidence that Iran currently possesses ballistic missiles with a range exceeding 2,000 kilometres, the AP reported.

In March, reports said an Iranian missile attack attempt against the joint US-UK military base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean had failed. The base is located about 4,000 kilometres from Iran.

US officials have also expressed concern that Iran could use technology developed for its space programme to build intercontinental ballistic missiles.

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