US won't abandon missile defense system near Russia's borders

The US State Department said that the agreement on Iran's nuclear program does not cancel its plans to build a missile defense system in Europe.

"The successful resolution of the nuclear issue does not obviate the need for ballistic missile defenses to counter the Iranian ballistic missile threat. The new UN Security Council resolution that will codify the agreement will keep the UN sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile program in place for 8 years," a US State Department official said.

The US State Department official stressed that Iran has the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the Middle East, which continues "to be a source of concern to us and the international community."