Iran military says it will increase missile range, citing war lessons
In short
Iran's military spokesman Akraminia said the armed forces have decided to begin increasing the range of their missiles, saying the decision follows lessons drawn from the war with the United States and Israel. He said the enemy has deployed forces and warships as far as 1,000 km from Iran's coast, so Iran will keep upgrading its missiles, and that it has already made significant progress on missile speed and accuracy.
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Iran's military spokesman Akraminia said the armed forces have decided to begin increasing the range of their missiles. Yicai reported the statement on October 4, citing Xinhua, which it said cited Iran's Fars news agency; Jiemian and China News Service carried the same announcement, attributed to Iranian reports of October 4 and to CCTV News respectively. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Akraminia said in the interview that the decision was taken because Iran had drawn “lessons” from its war with the United States and Israel. “In this war, we concluded that we must increase missile range, and we have now set out on this path,” he was quoted as saying. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The spokesman also said the “enemy” had deployed troops and warships “further from Iran's coast,” by as much as 1,000 km, and that Iran would therefore “continue to upgrade its missiles.” He said Iran had already made significant progress in increasing missile speed and accuracy. The documents do not specify how much the range would be extended, on what timetable, or whether the United States or Israel has responded. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The statement signals that Iran intends to extend the reach of its missile force after its war with the United States and Israel, and it is framed as a direct response to the positioning of foreign forces and warships up to 1,000 km from the Iranian coast. The documents give no target range, timetable or reaction from the United States or Israel, so the practical effect of the announced decision is not yet specified.
Key facts
- Iranian military spokesman Akraminia said the military has decided to start increasing its missile range. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Akraminia said the decision was based on lessons drawn from Iran's war with the United States and Israel. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He said Iran concluded during the war that it must increase missile range and has already started on that path. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Akraminia said the enemy has deployed troops and warships as far as 1,000 km from Iran's coast, and that Iran will continue to upgrade its missiles. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He said Iran has made significant progress in missile speed and accuracy. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Yicai attributed the report to Xinhua, which it said cited Iran's Fars news agency; Jiemian attributed its report to CCTV News. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Iran's military has decided to begin increasing its missile range, according to spokesman Akraminia. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Akraminia said the decision followed lessons from the war with the United States and Israel. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Akraminia said the enemy has positioned forces and warships up to 1,000 km from Iran's coast. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Akraminia said Iran has made significant progress in missile speed and accuracy. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- How far Iran intends to extend its missile range, and on what timetable. No target range or schedule is given in any of the documents.
- Whether the war with the United States and Israel referred to by Akraminia has ended. The documents refer to lessons drawn from the war in the past tense but do not state its status.
- What response, if any, the United States or Israel has given to the announcement. No reaction from either side appears in the documents; the only source of the claim is the Iranian military spokesman.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yicai publishes its report, attributed to Xinhua citing Iran's Fars news agency, on the Iranian military's decision to increase missile range. [ 1 ]
- Jiemian publishes its report on the same announcement, attributed to CCTV News. [ 2 ]
- China News Service publishes its report on the announcement. [ 3 ]