Hajizadeh: We Have No Technical or Contractual Limitations to Increase Missile Range Beyond 2000 Kilometers

The commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that Iran has "no technical or contractual limitations" to increase the range of its missiles beyond 2000 kilometers. According to Fars News Agency, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, in a speech at the University of Science and Technology, said that the 2000-kilometer range for Iran's missiles is "not a divine decree" and that the Islamic Republic "has the capability to build missiles with longer ranges." He also announced that the 2000-kilometer range was determined based on the "needs" of the Islamic Republic, noting that "many enemy bases are located 300 to 400 kilometers away, and the next phase is at a distance of 700 to 800 kilometers." On November 21, Hajizadeh had also stated that U.S. bases in Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, as well as U.S. aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, are within the range of Iranian missiles. These statements come after Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, mentioned last year that the range of Iranian-made missiles was set at 2000 kilometers "according to the policies set by the leadership." He added that "this range is currently sufficient, as the Americans are sufficiently present within a 2000-kilometer radius around our country, and they will be responded to in case of an attack." In response to these remarks, Heather Nauert, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated that this range is excessive and puts U.S. allied countries within reach. Iran's 2000-kilometer range medium-range missiles can target Saudi Arabia and Israel from Iran and have the capability to reach the European Union region. Hajizadeh's recent comments come just days after a UN Security Council meeting regarding Iran's latest missile test, which raised concerns from the U.S., France, and Britain. UN Security Council Resolution 2231, issued after the 2015 Vienna nuclear agreement to endorse it, calls on Iran to refrain from developing ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Iran has stated that its produced missiles are not capable of carrying nuclear weapons and therefore, its missile activities do not violate UN Security Council Resolution 2231. Meanwhile, the German newspaper "Welt am Sonntag" recently reported, citing Western intelligence agencies, that Iran tested seven medium-range and five short-range cruise missiles in 2018, with the number of these tests doubling compared to the previous year.