“They are trying to achieve intercontinental ballistic missiles,” he said, adding he wouldn’t speculate how long it would take. The Iranian foreign minister called Trump’s remarks on the Iran’s ballistic missiles and its suddenly revitalised nuclear programme “big lies”. That came less than a year after the president claimed to have “obliterated” the Iranian nuclear programme during the B-2 bombing runs launched by the US last summer. During the 12-day war, Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles and 1,000 one-way attack drones, testing both Israeli and US missile defenses. Israeli officials recently estimated that Iran had 1,500 ballistic missiles and 200 launchers after the war with Israel, but that number has likely increased as Iran has sought to replenish stockpiles.

Source: The Guardian February 27, 2026 21:54 UTC