Iran lifts self-imposed limit on missile ranges amid fears of renewed war

Iran's Revolutionary Guard has announced that it has lifted a self-imposed limit of 2,000 kilometres on the range of its ballistic missiles, signalling the possibility of developing weapons capable of striking targets farther away amid fears of a renewed all-out war.

Revolutionary Guard spokesperson General Hossein Mohebbi made the announcement at a press conference in Tehran, days after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khomeini warned that “any kind and level of threat” from the US or Israel would be met with a response without geographic limits.

Asked about the missile-range restriction, Mohebbi said, “That restriction has been lifted for us.”

He did not clarify whether Iran already possessed missiles capable of exceeding the 2,000-km range, saying Tehran would “demonstrate these capabilities in practice” rather than make statements.

Iran is not known to have ballistic missiles capable of travelling beyond that range, which puts parts of Greece and the Balkans, the entire Arabian Peninsula, the Levant and most of Egypt within reach. US officials have said technology developed through Iran's space programme could be repurposed to build intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Meanwhile, the Iranian military said a tanker east of the Strait of Hormuz had struck a naval mine and caught fire. It did not identify the vessel's nationality or destination, but claimed it had switched off its navigation beacon and was sailing in a “prohibited area”.

Heavy rain worsens conditions in Gaza

In the Gaza Strip, heavy rainfall flooded tents and makeshift shelters, soaking mattresses and belongings and turning pathways in displacement camps into pools of muddy water.

The downpour has marked the beginning of another difficult winter for more than 1.6 million Palestinians living in tents or other temporary shelters after losing their homes during Israel's military campaign.

Majed Al-Omari, who lost a limb during the war, struggled to move between tents on crutches after the rain damaged the wooden frame and plastic sheeting of his shelter.

“We will have to sleep in the street tonight, or find somewhere else to stay,” he said.

The UN humanitarian office has said 294,250 families need shelter assistance for the rainy season. However, available supplies are sufficient to provide only partial assistance to 18 per cent of those in need.

It attributed the shortage to a lack of funding, slow procurement procedures and delays in approvals by Israeli authorities, warning that additional supplies might not reach Palestinians until more than halfway through winter.