Iran’s Navy-Killer Missiles Now Have Double the Range (Source The National Interest)

Iran just sent a veiled warning to the U.S. military: We see you, and now we can reach you everywhere.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard aerospace division chief Amirali Hajizadeh declared Tuesday that Iran had boosted the range of its land-to-sea ballistic missiles up to 700 km, or 435 miles, Reuters reports, capable of hitting “any vessel or ship” at that range. More importantly, the immediate danger lies in the Persian Gulf, where U.S. Navy vessels from the 5th Fleet routinely operate. The Iranian regime spent the summer threatening the United States amid the unraveling of the historic nuclear accord establishing by President Barack Obama, declaring in August that the country maintained full control of the Persian Gulf. An August 2018 Congressional Research Service report noted that vessels outfitted with interceptors under the Aegis ballistic missile defense program are explicitly postured to defend against Iranian attacks, regardless of their actual area of operations.

“Under the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) for European BMD operations, BMD capable Aegis ships are operating in European waters to defend Europe from potential ballistic missile attacks from countries such as Iran,” Still, it’s cause for some concern. Earlier this month, CNN reported that Iranian ballistic missiles fired at ISIS targets in Syria came “within three miles” of U.S. forces fighting there as part of Operation Inherent Resolve — missiles that had “death to America” emblazoned across the side. U.S. and allied interceptors may do the trick, but the added range for Iranian ballistics may be, well, a bit too close for comfort.