US cities on high alert: Where will Iran strike US, people ask Google. Can Tehran's missiles reach Washington?

US cities, including New York and Washington, are on high alert following President Donald Trump's decision to strike nuclear facilities in Iran. Tehran had earlier stated that the United States directly siding with Israel in the armed conflict would risk triggering an “all-out war.” Most experts and analysts believe that if the Islamic Republic decides to confront a military superpower, the initial strikes would target U.S. military bases in the Middle East.

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The heightened alert in American cities is not due to fears of a direct Iranian strike on the U.S. mainland, as such an attack is almost impossible for the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force to carry out. Israel has repeatedly come under threat from Tehran’s drone and missile strikes since the hostilities began, some may wonder whether similar actions could be taken against Washington. Though Iran's missile inventory has been depleted—though not entirely destroyed—the country still possesses missiles capable of covering thousands of kilometers. The key question, however, remains: Are these missiles truly capable of reaching the United States?

 

Can Iran strike US mainland?

 

Iran is not a country that possesses Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), effectively ruling out any chance for the theocratic regime to deliver a direct blow to military, administrative, or civilian targets on the U.S. mainland.

 

Among its arsenal, the Sejjil (also spelled Sejil) medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) are Iran’s longest-reaching projectiles, with a range of 2,000 to 2,500 kilometers. Following closely are the Khorramshahr‑4 (Kheibar) MRBMs, capable of delivering heavy payloads over a distance of 2,000 kilometers.

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Geographically, the U.S. mainland lies around 11,000 km to the East Coast from Iran -- a distance that only Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) can cover. Thus, as long as Iran lacks perational ICBMs, there is no direct missile threat to lives on American soil—at least for now. However,  earlier this year, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency assessed that Iran could develop a “militarily-viable ICBM by 2035 should Tehran decide to pursue the capability.”

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