Are U.S. military strongholds in Europe in danger? Iran lifts 2,000km missile range limit

Iran's policy on the red line of missile range that it has long declared has been loosened. According to the Associated Press, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said at a press conference in Tehran on the 7th that Iran's past voluntary 2,000-kilometer range limit on ballistic missiles "has been lifted for us," and claimed that Iran will demonstrate its capabilities through actual actions in the future.

This statement was in response to the warning recently issued by Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Mujtaba said at the time that in the face of any threat from the United States or Israel, Iran's counterattack would have "no geographical restrictions." Moheb later confirmed that the self-restriction had been lifted when asked about missile restrictions, but he did not disclose whether Iran currently possesses, develops or deploys missile models with a range exceeding 2,000 kilometers; the outside world is also unable to confirm whether Iran has an actual arsenal that breaks this limit.

The 2,000-kilometer self-limit that Iran has claimed to abide by for many years can theoretically cover Israel, the Balkans, Saudi Arabia and most US military bases in the Middle East. If restrictions are lifted, there are concerns that the scope of the crackdown may be further extended. U.S. and British officials have disclosed that during the war in March this year, two ballistic missiles were launched towards the U.S.-British joint base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, nearly 4,000 kilometers away from Iranian territory. One of them missed and the other was intercepted; but Iran denied at the time that it was involved in the attack.

Faced with the damage to its air defense system in the conflict, missiles have become Tehran's most important strategic intimidation pillar. Mohbi claimed that the Revolutionary Guards had moved all missile and drone production lines underground during the conflict to ensure that manufacturing energy could continue to operate in the event of air strikes, and warned that any further attacks would impose costs on opponents.

At the same time, NBC quoted two U.S. officials as reporting that some White House aides had advised Trump before the midterm elections that if he intended to restart large-scale military operations against Iraq, he should seize the time window before the new Congress takes office in January next year. However, officials stressed that Trump has not yet decided to restart a full-scale conflict.

In addition, the US military also announced the establishment of "Task Force Iron Gate" to coordinate the crackdown on Iran's network of smuggling advanced weapons and dual-use technologies through the land border and the Caspian Sea.