Iran dismissees Israel's missile concern as 'made-up threat'

AFP , Tuesday 7 Oct 2025

Iran on Tuesday dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's warnings over its missile programme as fabricated, after he alleged the Islamic Republic was developing rockets capable of reaching US cities.

Iranian ballistic missile
File Photo: Iran revealed a new ballistic missile, dubbed Etemad, or "trust" in Persian, saying it had a maximum range of 1,700 kilometres (1,056 miles) and was "the most recent ballistic missile" built by the Iranian defence ministry. AFP

 

In an interview with US podcaster Ben Shapiro released on late Monday, Netanyahu said: "Iran is developing now... intercontinental ballistic missiles for 8,000 kilometre range".

"What does that mean? They add another 3,000 kilometres and they've got under their guns... New York City in target, Washington, Boston, Miami, Mar-a-Lago", he said, referring to the Florida residence of US President Donald Trump.

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, condemned the comments, saying Israel was trying to portray Iran's defensive capabilities as a threat.

"Israel is now attempting to turn our defensive power into a made-up threat," Araghchi wrote on X.

Iran has a large arsenal of domestically produced ballistic missiles, including Shahab-3 rockets with a range of 2,000 kilometres, enough to reach Israel.

In June, a 12-day war erupted after unprecedented Israeli strikes inside Iran targeted military, political, and nuclear-related sites.

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and on the largest US base in the Middle East, located in Qatar, after Washington launched a bombing raid of its own.

Since a June 24 ceasefire, Iranian political and military officials have warned of possible renewed conflict, saying they are prepared for war but do not seek it.

Western countries and Israel accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons and of developing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Iran denies the charges, insisting its nuclear program is for civilian energy and medical research purposes only.

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