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Iran Says U.S. Bases in Region Within Reach of Improved Missiles

Iran Says U.S. Bases in Region Within Reach of Improved Missiles

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. military bases in the Middle East and its aircraft carriers are within reach of Iran’s improved missiles and could be targeted if the Islamic Republic is threatened, a Revolutionary Guards commander said, as tension with the Trump administration mounts over renewed sanctions.

“If they make a move, we will target them,” Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ aerospace division, was quoted as saying late on Wednesday by the state-run Tasnim news agency. He singled out the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and Al Dhafra in the United Arab Emirates.

Iran has improved the “precision” of its missiles, Hajizadeh said. The Islamic republic “has been faced with many threats” since its inception but “has learned to turn threats into opportunities.”

President Donald Trump reimposed economic sanctions against Tehran after his administration withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal. The U.S. says it seeks to curb the Islamic Republic’s influence in the region and its missile program, which Iran says is needed for self-defense.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ladane Nasseri in Dubai at lnasseri@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Shaji Mathew

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