In an interview with US podcaster Ben Shapiro released on Monday, Netanyahu said: “Iran is developing now… intercontinental ballistic missiles for 8,000km range”.

“What does that mean? They add another 3,000km and they’ve got under their guns… New York City in target, Washington, Boston, Miami, Mar-a-Lago”, he said, referring to the Florida residence of US President Donald Trump.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, condemned the comments, saying Israel was trying to portray Iran’s defensive capabilities as a threat.

“Israel is now trying to make an imaginary threat out of our defence capabilities,” Araghchi wrote on X.

Iran has a large arsenal of domestically produced ballistic missiles, including Shahab-3 rockets with a range of 2,000km — enough to reach Israel.

In June, a 12-day war erupted after unprecedented Israeli strikes inside Iran targeted military, political and nuclear-related sites.

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and on the largest US base in the Middle East, located in Qatar, after Washington launched a bombing raid of its own.

Since a June 24 ceasefire, Iranian political and military officials have warned of possible renewed conflict, saying they are prepared for war but do not seek it.

Western countries and Israel accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons and of developing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Iran denies the charges, insisting its nuclear program is for civilian energy and medical research purposes only.