Iran says it is working to increase missile range amid conflict with US
In short
Iran's army has begun work to increase the range and speed of its missiles, army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said, according to Iranian and Russian media. Akraminia said the longer range is needed because the enemy is now 1,000 km from Iran's coasts, and that future missile generations will have better speed and guidance. The statement came as Tehran pressed a seven-day settlement plan with Washington and US President Donald Trump said the war would end soon, either by a strike or a deal.
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Iran's army has begun work to increase the range and speed of its missiles, army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said, according to TASS, Vedomosti and RBC. RIA Novosti reported that Iran said it decided to increase the missile range because of the conflict with the United States. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Akraminia said the greater range was needed because the enemy is now located 1,000 km from Iran's coasts, Vedomosti reported, citing the Fars agency. He said serious measures had already been taken on missile speed and the quality of their guidance, and that future generations of Iranian missiles would have these capabilities to a greater degree, according to Vedomosti and RBC. RBC also reported that the army described weapons already used in the conflict with the US as “effective”. [ 3 , 4 ]
TASS reported that Akraminia said Tehran began the missile work during the war with the United States. The two state agencies gave the announcement without further detail, RIA Novosti in a headline report and TASS in a short item naming the spokesman. [ 1 , 2 ]
Vedomosti also carried background on the diplomatic track. On October 1, Iranian deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said Tehran wanted to settle the crisis diplomatically and to receive objective guarantees from the United States that the war would end, the outlet reported. The diplomat said Iran had handed the US a settlement plan designed to run for seven days, with Tehran demanding guarantees that the war would end on all fronts, the unblocking of Iranian assets, the lifting of the blockade and other conditions in the initiative. [ 3 ]
On the same day, US President Donald Trump said the war in Iran would end very soon, either through a US strike or through a deal, according to Vedomosti. On September 24, NBC News, citing Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, reported that Iran had allowed for a deal with the United States before the US congressional midterm elections in November, the outlet said. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The announcement points to a continued Iranian missile build-up while a diplomatic track with Washington is also in play, so the two paths are running in parallel. Reports of a seven-day Iranian settlement plan and Trump's remark about a deal or a strike suggest the outcome of the conflict is still open. The documents do not indicate whether fighting is ongoing.
Key facts
- Iran's army has started work to increase the range and speed of its missiles, army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Akraminia said the greater range is needed because the enemy is now located 1,000 km from Iran's coasts, according to Vedomosti citing Fars [ 3 ]
- Akraminia said serious measures had already been taken on missile speed and guidance quality, and that future generations of Iranian missiles would have these capabilities to a greater degree [ 3 , 4 ]
- RBC reported the army described weapons already used in the conflict with the US as “effective” [ 4 ]
- TASS reported Akraminia said Tehran began the work during the war with the US [ 2 ]
- On October 1, Iranian deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said Tehran wants a diplomatic settlement and objective guarantees from the US to end the war, and that Iran had given the US a seven-day plan [ 3 ]
- The same day, US President Donald Trump said the war in Iran would end very soon, either by a US strike or a deal [ 3 ]
- On September 24, NBC News, citing Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, reported Iran had allowed for a deal with the US before November midterm elections to the US Congress [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Iran announced work to increase the range of its missiles, with the army spokesman giving the statement [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia is named as the source of the statement [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The missile work is presented as connected to the conflict with the United States [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- When and where Akraminia made the statement The documents give only their own publication times and do not say when or where the announcement was made.
- The 1,000 km distance given by Akraminia The figure appears in one outlet, Vedomosti, citing the Fars agency; no other document repeats it.
- The state of the diplomatic track between Tehran and Washington The seven-day plan, Khatibzadeh's remarks and Trump's comment appear only in one outlet, Vedomosti, citing Fars and NBC News; the other documents do not mention them.
- Whether fighting between Iran and the US is still going on The documents describe the conflict differently — TASS says Tehran began the missile work during the war, RBC refers to weapons already used in the conflict, and Trump is quoted saying the war would end soon.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- RIA Novosti reports that Iran said it decided to increase the range of its missiles because of the conflict with the US [ 1 ]
- TASS reports, citing army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia, that Tehran has started work on increasing missile range [ 2 ]
- Vedomosti, citing Fars, reports Akraminia's remarks on range, speed and guidance, and the background of Iran's seven-day settlement plan and US statements [ 3 ]
- RBC reports that Iran expects future missile generations to be faster and more accurate, and that the army called weapons already used in the conflict with the US “effective” [ 4 ]