The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, stated during the National Conference on Space Technology and Its Application on January 29, 2019, that Iran has neither an operational nor a technological limitation on increasing the range of the missiles that it has in its possession. However, in accordance with its defense doctrine, it is diligently investing in the improvement of the accuracy of these missiles. He added that at this stage, Iran does not intend increasing the range of the missiles in its possession.1 The conference is being held at the University of Science and Technology.2
It is possible that Shamkhani’s statements regarding the range of the missiles were aimed at France, which recently demanded that Iran come to the negotiating table to discuss Iran’s long-term ballistic missiles program. Iran warned the government in Paris several days ago that if it insisted on holding these talks, Tehran would reevaluate its ties with France.
Recently, apparently at the behest of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Iranian senior Revolutionary Guard officials hinted that Iran might change its military orientation from a defensive stance to an offensive one.
