A reported Iran ICBM test has intensified concerns in Washington as Tehran claims it can now strike the U.S. mainland, even while President Donald Trump weighs potential military action against the regime. Iranian state-controlled outlets this week said the Islamic Republic successfully tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile, a capability that would dramatically escalate the threat posed by the regime.
According to reports, the missile launched from an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base in Semnan and flew toward Siberia with Russian approval. Regime media claimed the missile could travel up to 6,200 miles, though available footage only shows a projectile breaking through cloud cover. Even so, experts warn the implications of an Iran ICBM test are serious, regardless of success.
President Trump issued his strongest warning yet last weekend, declaring, “It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran.” The U.S. has since positioned major military assets in the region, including the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group, as Trump considers what aides described as “decisive” action.
Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said the regime’s low-profile approach is what raises concern. “There’s no shortage of attempts by Tehran’s theocrats to engage in hyperbole and bluster,” he said, but when Iran avoids publicity, “that’s when there is room for real concern.” If the test achieved the claimed range, Ben Taleblu added, it would be “historic if true” and would “constitute a veiled threat against the U.S. homeland.”
U.S. intelligence agencies maintain Iran has not yet deployed a functional ICBM. Still, Jason Brodsky of United Against a Nuclear Iran warned that Tehran has used its space program as cover for missile development. The Defense Intelligence Agency estimates Iran could possess up to 60 ICBMs by 2035.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi underscored the stakes, vowing to shoot “back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack.”
