A veil of terror blankets the Persian Gulf, with Iran preparing to field a powerful long-range missile (2,000 kilometers) in a conflict that, as Tehran emphasizes, will extend beyond the US midterm elections, while potentially including targets in the Mediterranean, Europe, and other NATO bases far beyond the Middle East, according to an exclusive report by Military Watch Magazine on October 6.
Specifically, Iran has initiated the production of ballistic missiles with a range exceeding the threshold of approximately 2,000 kilometers that it maintained publicly for decades, according to Mohammad Akramiya, spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces.
The announcement signals a major pivot in Tehran's stated missile policy and takes place amid a prolonged, ongoing conflict with the United States.
Doctrine change by Iran: «We are altering the range of our powerful missiles»
«Iranian authorities decided to increase the range of our missiles due to the ongoing confrontation with the United States», stated Akramiya. «During this conflict, we arrived at the conclusion that it is absolutely necessary to increase the range of our missiles, and we have already begun doing so», he added.
For years, Iranian officials described this threshold as a deliberate policy rather than a technological constraint, maintaining that European nations were not intended to serve as targets of Iran's missile program.
Missile terror for the US and Israel
Iran possesses one of the largest and most diverse arsenals of ballistic missiles in the world.
The country initially acquired short-range ballistic missiles in the mid-1980s from North Korea, which it produced under license, before acquiring the North Korean Hwasong-7 in the late 1990s to attain intermediate-range strike capability, placing American bases across the entire region and targets in Israel within range.
The United States is unable to significantly impede the country's missile program owing to the fortification of missiles, bases, storage depots, and production facilities deep underground, with these heavily fortified installations having been constructed with North Korean support across decades.
The advanced capabilities of Iranian ballistic missiles and drone forces are heavily leveraged to offset significant deficiencies in the country's conventional military assets.
Diego Garcia base and facilities across NATO Europe in the crosshairs
The decision to deploy longer-range missile types could enable Iran to extend its strikes against American military facilities throughout Europe, while permitting the targeting of hostile warships at sea and bases on Diego Garcia, located approximately 5,000 kilometers away.
The IRGC was reportedly considering strikes against American military facilities in Europe in late August if the ongoing war effort escalated further, a development that would represent a major geographical expansion of the conflict.
«High-value targets in Western Europe will be considered»
While Iranian forces can currently launch ballistic missile strikes across a large portion of Eastern Europe, longer-range missiles would enable strikes against higher-value targets in Western Europe.
Iranian drone and missile strikes have rendered American bases across the Middle East unusable, including the largest overseas military facility of the United States, the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
Shortage of Patriot systems leaves European air defenses exposed before Iranian power
Strikes against European bases would be particularly significant given the extreme exhaustion of air defense systems across the continent, primarily due to donations in support of the Ukrainian war effort and the prioritization of American air defense stockpiles to protect facilities in the Middle East.
The IRGC has progressively refined missile and drone operations to better exploit vulnerabilities in American air defense, while deploying an array of previously unseen and more advanced missile models.
The most notable is the Fattah 2, which incorporates a hypersonic glide vehicle that is virtually impossible to intercept.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz confirmed in late March that 80% of Iranian missiles launched against Israeli targets successfully struck their objective, indicating that far less protected targets in Europe could prove exceptionally vulnerable.
Iran warns: Trump's wartime hell will last far beyond the midterms
Iran now warns the United States against proceeding with an attack against it, whether before or after the November midterm elections.
Major General Ali Abdollahi stated, according to Iranian state media, that any American action, «whether independently or at the instigation of Israel», will trigger an immediate, powerful, and painful blow against American interests, «without any restraint».
Abdollahi emphasized that the Iranian response will manifest «either before or after the elections, irrespective of the outcome», warning that if Washington moves militarily against Iran, «the fire will consume everyone».
He added that the Iranian armed forces have already proven their capabilities during the preceding clash.
The warning arrives immediately after the statement by Donald Trump to TIME magazine that the prospect of new, large-scale bombings against Iran after the midterm elections is «probable», at a time when Washington continues to bolster its military presence in the broader region.
Abdollahi also accused the IAEA of leveraging claims regarding Iran's nuclear program in order to set the stage for a new war. He warned that any renewed confrontation will trigger an Iranian response without restrictions.
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