18 March 2022; MEMO: Iran possesses 3,000 ballistic missiles, some of which can reach Israel, the chief of the US Central Command, Kenneth McKenzie, warned yesterday.
McKenzie told US Senators that none of the Iranian missiles could "reach Europe yet," adding that over the "last five to seven years they [Iran] have invested heavily in their ballistic missile programme."
"We saw this in the attack on the American base in Iraq's Ayn Al-Asad in January 2020, where the missiles had hit an accuracy of several tens of meters," he stressed.
McKenzie added that Iran continues to be the greatest threat to US interests and the security of the Middle East. "Iran's ballistic capabilities pose an existential threat to the security of every country in the region, including our close partners," he said.
The US general, who was making his final appearance before retiring, said: "My concern is, first of all, that they have that nuclear weapon but I am also very concerned about the remarkable growth in number and efficiency of their ballistic missile force, their [unmanned aerial vehicle] program, their long-range drones and their land-attack cruise missile program."
He also pointed to what he said was "Iran's doubled attacks against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates through military backing of the Houthis in Yemen," praising Israel for "entering into the sphere of responsibility of the US Central Command."
