Iran possesses one of the largest ballistic missile arsenals in the Middle East a key factor in regional security calculations and an ongoing sticking point in diplomatic talks with Western intelligence agencies saying Tehran’s missiles have a self‑imposed range limit of about 2,000 km enough to reach Israel and other regional targets and are stored in multiple underground bases across the country the arsenal includes medium and long‑range systems such as the Sejil Ghadr Khorramshahr Emad and Shahab‑3 families with ranges from roughly 1,300 km to 2,000 km or more and shows Iran’s capacity to strike well beyond its borders. Iran also continues to develop newer and more advanced missiles including variants like the Fattah hypersonic series and the solid‑fuel Qassem Bassir designed for greater speed maneuverability and survivability while analysts note much of the programme’s technology is derived from North Korean and Russian designs with some Chinese assistance. Western powers view these ballistic capabilities as both a conventional threat to Middle East stability and a potential delivery system for nuclear weapons should Tehran ever decide to pursue them although Iran denies any intention to acquire atomic bombs and insists its missiles are a deterrent and retaliatory force against external threats.
