The chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday that Iran does not need to extend its range of missiles because they already reach far enough to strike American forces deployed in the Middle East if the Islamic Republic experiences aggression from the U.S.
“There is the capability to increase this range, but it is sufficient for now as the Americans are present within a 2,000-kilometer radius around the country, and would get a response in the case of any invasion,” Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said during a Tehran-based conference titled “A World Without Terror,” according to state-run Press TV. Jafari added, “The Americans fear the consequences of a war with Iran, and are well aware that they would be the losers if such a war breaks out.”
Jafari said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei set the 2,000 kilometers range limit.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani told Parliament on Sunday, “We have built, are building and will continue to build missiles, and this violates no international agreements.”
Although Iran’s missile program is not covered under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was signed in 2015, President Donald Trump stated in his speech announcing his refusal to certify the Iran deal that he would ask Congress to impose sanctions on Iran’s missile program.
During his October 12 speech, Trump called for America’s allies to join the United States “in taking strong actions to curb Iran’s continued dangers and destabilizing behavior, including thorough sanctions outside the Iran deal that target the regime’s ballistic missile program and support for terrorism, and all of its destructive activities; of which there are many.”
Press TV wrote, “The Islamic Republic says its military power poses no threat to other countries and is merely based on the doctrine of deterrence.”
Breitbart News compiled a brief timeline of Iran-sponsored terrorism since 1979.
During his speech this month, Trump authorized the Treasury Department to sanction the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.