A senior Iranian cleric made a bold claim on Friday, August 7, regarding Tehran’s missile capabilities, stating that Iran is preparing to increase the range of its missiles to 15,000 kilometers. According to him, missiles with such a long range could reach deep inside the United States. Speaking during Friday prayers in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, Abdolnabi Mousavifard said Iran is “preparing ourselves so that the American people, too, will see what it is like to be hit by missiles and understand what it means to be left in blood and destruction.”
Mousavifard stated that Iran is working to expand the capabilities of its missile arsenal, claiming that such missiles could eventually achieve a range of up to 15,000 kilometers. He also said Iran’s missiles could already reach “deep into Jerusalem,” located approximately 2,000 kilometers away.
Remarks on Netanyahu
During his address, the cleric also made pointed remarks about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Leading chants of “revenge, revenge,” he expressed hope that Netanyahu would be “destroyed” by Iranian forces. It should be noted that no official military plans or technical specifications were cited to substantiate the claim regarding preparations to extend missile range to 15,000 kilometers.
Iran’s Existing Missile Arsenal
Iran possesses a wide range of missile systems, from short-range weapons to ballistic missiles with ranges of roughly 2,000 kilometers or more. Its principal missile systems include the Fateh-110, Fateh-113, Zolfaghar, Shahab-3, Emad, Ghadr, and Kheibar Shekan. According to defense assessments, Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal consists primarily of short-range missiles with ranges of up to 1,000 kilometers and medium-range missiles with ranges between 1,000 and 3,000 kilometers, while long-range missiles exceeding 3,000 kilometers are reportedly in advanced stages of development. US officials have separately alleged that Iran possesses ballistic missiles capable of exceeding its officially declared 2,000-kilometer range limit, a claim Iranian officials have denied.