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Iran lifted its self-imposed ballistic missile-range limit and threatened to unleash new, homegrown weapons that would "astonish the entire world," within hours of the U.S. military launching a new task force aimed at choking off Tehran's weapons shipments and illicit trade Nov. 7.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi confirmed that Iran was now abandoning its previous 2,000-kilometer, or roughly 1,240-mile, ballistic missile-range restriction, according to The Associated Press.
"That restriction has been lifted for us," Mohebbi clarified in the wake of the task force announcement.
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U.S. Central Command established "Task Force Iron Gate", an initiative targeting the movement of advanced Iranian weapons systems, dual-use materials and illicit revenue across Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea.
"Strengthening CENTCOM's collaboration with US Interagency partners will further constrain Iran's ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories, and replenish their military," Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said in a statement shared on X.
According to Behnam Taleblu, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), the U.S. may now carry out "targeted strikes" against facilitators while putting "political pressure on bordering states, as well as market and sanctions pressure against institutions underwriting Iran’s illicit trade."
"It speaks volumes, of course, that this effort is being stood up within CENTCOM headquarters," Taleblu told Fox News Digital.
Meanwhile, Iran's IRGC quickly dismissed the new initiative as "wordplay," claiming Tehran had already made preparations and coordinated with neighboring countries to withstand additional pressure, Fars News Agency reported.
Mohebbi also warned that Iran was developing new weapons capable of delivering devastating blows in another confrontation with the U.S. and Israel.
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"There are surprises that will be unveiled and deployed on the battlefield if a third wave of confrontation with the enemy erupts. These surprises will astonish the entire world," Mohebbi said during a news conference in Tehran on Saturday, according to Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
"If they once again miscalculate, or if the Zionists, in pursuit of their own interests, lead the criminal United States into another miscalculation, they should know that Iran's next blows will be even harder and will leave them crippled for years to come," he added.
Iran's previous 2,000-kilometer limit already placed the entire Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, most of Egypt and parts of Greece and the Balkans within range.
In March, Iran unsuccessfully attempted to strike the joint U.S.-British military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, roughly 2,500 miles from the Islamic Republic.
Mohebbi also claimed Iran was preparing to unveil new underground missile facilities, as Tehran seeks to shield its weapons production from future attacks.
The installations, described by Iranian officials as "missile cities," are designed to allow the IRGC to continue manufacturing weapons during wartime, according to IRNA.
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The IRGC spokesman claimed Iran's Aerospace Force continued producing missiles and drones during recent fighting, using domestic expertise without importing foreign weapons or relying on "reverse engineering of weapons captured from the enemy."
Mohebbi also described Iran's growing self-sufficiency in weapons production as a "very big achievement."
Taleblu meanwhile emphasized the significance of the Caspian Sea basin, saying the world’s largest lake has "turned into a two-way sanctions-busting hub for both Iran and Russia."
"Iranian officials always claim self-sufficiency in their military industries," he said.
"But with domestic missile production significantly constrained due to the 40-Day War, the regime will be reliant on imports to build back, and especially at scale and at a faster rate.
"This is why efforts to constrain both land and sea trade in and out of Iran are a one-two punch for the regime."
The warnings come as Washington intensified pressure on Iran's regional trade routes, including its land crossings with Iraq, where Baghdad has reportedly resisted U.S. demands for full and broader border restrictions.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Iraq has closed only one border crossing with Iran so far, despite reported American pressure to shut down most crossings between the two countries.
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On Sunday, the U.S. Treasury pressed Iraq to close all border crossings with Iran except for two as part of Washington's policy of increasing economic pressure on Tehran, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said, according to Reuters.
The Iraqi government had closed the al-Shayeb crossing in southeastern Iraq on Oct. 21, to review security and install equipment to prevent smuggling of prohibited materials.
Iraqi political sources told Agence France-Presse that Washington had pressured Baghdad to close most Iran-Iraq border crossings to restrict trade and financial exchanges that could help Tehran withstand U.S. sanctions, ISW reported.
ISW also said that Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Mohammad Kazem al-Sadegh was pressuring tribal leaders in Iraq's Maysan province to push Iraqi officials and leaders of the Shiite Coordination Framework to reopen al-Shayeb.
Al-Sadegh is reportedly a member of the IRGC's Quds Force, which oversees the organization's foreign operations.
The institute assessed that Baghdad's limited response likely reflects efforts to balance its relationship with Washington against the influence of Iranian-backed political factions.
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