Iran's IRGC claims self-imposed ballistic missile range limit 'has been lifted'

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has lifted a self-imposed restriction on the range of its ballistic missiles, allowing Tehran to develop longer-range capabilities, according to the IRGC's spokesman, General Hossein Mohebbi. The restriction was previously set at 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles). Mohebbi stated that Iran would demonstrate its missile capabilities in practice rather than make further statements.

This announcement comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East, with the US and Israel fearing a renewed full-scale conflict. The 2,000-kilometre range had previously covered parts of Greece, the Balkans, the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, and most of Egypt. However, it is unclear whether Iran currently possesses missiles with a range exceeding this distance.

US officials have previously warned that technology developed through Iran's space program could potentially be repurposed for building intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Military tensions persist across the region, with the US enforcing a naval blockade around the Strait of Hormuz and Iran claiming attacks on tankers.