TEHRAN – Benjamin Netanyahu's five-day trip to the United States was marked by a series of eyebrow-raising pronouncements. From announcing that he will nominate Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize to claiming he wants a “better future” for Palestinians after killing over 60,000 of them in cold blood, the Israeli Prime Minister delivered the kind of outlandish statements observers have now come to expect. 

But one rather ridiculous pronouncement he made must be taken more seriously, as it contained important underlying messages that could augur both well and badly for Israel's biggest enemy, Iran.

In a Fox News interview, Netanyahu tried to justify the illegal and unprovoked war he launched against Iran on June 13, which lasted for 12 days and resulted in over 1,000 Iranian deaths and damage to its nuclear, military, and civilian infrastructure. Iran is now “in deep trouble,” Netanyahu said to the American interviewer. 

The war’s stated goal was the dismantlement of Iran's nuclear program; the hidden agenda, overthrowing the Iranian government. However, intelligence and analysis indicate that neither objective was met: Iran's nuclear sites weren't "obliterated," and despite the assassination of key military officials early in the conflict, the Iranian government remains in power, with more popularity than it possessed before the outbreak of the war. 

What Netanyahu gained in return, was the unforeseen destruction of at least 50,000 buildings in Israel, damage to critical military and energy installations, and a widespread erosion of the perception of Israel as an impenetrable safe haven. These unexpected consequences were the reason he came up with a new outrageous demand in his interview. Netanyahu said that he would only “agree” to a deal with Iran if the country limits the range of its ballistic missiles to 300 miles, which is approximately 480 kilometers. 

While it's not Netanyahu's (or any Israeli leader's) place to dictate the terms of a potential deal between Iran and the U.S. (which were engaged in indirect nuclear negotiations before the war ended them), his demand – a new one even for him, given his usual focus on Iran's nuclear program – amounted to an admission that Iran inflicted significant damage on Israel during the war. Netanyahu is seeking to eliminate Iran's missile capabilities, aiming to resume the war he was ultimately forced to end, despite his initial objectives, said Mahshallah Shamsolvaezin, a senior Iranian journalist and political analyst close the country’s reformist factions, the camp President Masoud Pezeshkian belongs to. 

“Israel wants to be able to attack Iran and not face any consequences. Just like how it is acting in regards to Syria nowadays,” he said. “Iran would never agree to such demands, especially now that it knows its only way of preventing aggression is maintaining the ability to respond to it.” 

Iran maintains a large and sophisticated arsenal of short, medium, and long-range ballistic and cruise missiles. Years ago, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, ordered the range of these missiles limited to 2,000 kilometers, a move some believe aimed to signal that Iran does not pose a threat to the West. However, this range is sufficient to retaliate against attacks by Israel, the only force in West Asia actively engaged in launching wars against regional countries. The average distance a missile should travel from Iran to the occupied territories is approximately 1,568 kilometers.

International conventions and charters do not legally restrict the range of ballistic missiles developed by any nation. "Based on Article 51 of the UN Charter, Iran has the right to develop the capabilities necessary for its self-defense," explained Shamsolvaezin. "Given Israel's evident desire to harm Iran, the country must be prepared to strike at any moment."

Iran's Minister of Defense, Aziz Nasirzadeh said on Monday that the country does not believe the ceasefire that came into effect between Iran and Israel on June 24 will hold. “We don't trust the ceasefire at all. The Israelis are plotting. We are treating this simply as a time to prepare ourselves and plan multiple scenarios for the next round.”

Also on Monday, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, lauded the country’s aerospace forces for the highly effective missile counterstrikes they conducted against Israel last month. He made the remarks during a visit to an IRGC Aerospace facility, adding that any repeated mistake would be met with an “even stronger response”.

“Iran has many important cards it has not played yet,” Shamsolvaezin said. “Missiles are an undeniable necessity to make those plans work.”