Iranian Defense Minister General Hossein Dehghan said that everything is ready for the expansion of the missile program of the Islamic Republic. It was made in accordance with President Hassan Rouhani's order to expedite efforts for boosting the country’s missile power, which was released yesterday.
"We will continue boosting the missile capabilities of the Islamic Republic within the framework of the government's defense policy. For this purpose, all the possibilities of the defense industry, as well as technical and human resources of the country will be used ," TASS cited Dehghan as saying.
However, he clarified that the country's missile capability will be developed in strict accordance with the country's military doctrine, which is based on the defense of national borders. Dehghan drew attention to the fact that "Iran’s defense power is a guarantee for security in the region."
Thus, Iran has taken a step back to the statement of Washington's intention to introduce new financial sanctions against Tehran after a test of the Emad ballistic missile, which is not among the forbidden military exercises for Iran.
"The missile and defensive might of Iran should not be a subject of discussion with other countries. People and the Iranian armed forces, undertaking important measures relating to its defense, should not look to the views of any other country. Iran has the right to use all possibilities to ensure its own defense and security. Therefore, Iran’s missile capabilities have never been the subject of negotiations with the Americans and never will be," the Minister of Defense of Iran concluded.
It is known that Tehran continues to insist that its missiles are not covered by the sanctions against the Iranian missile program. "Iran's missile program has nothing to do with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 because Iran's missiles were not designed to carry nuclear warheads," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said earlier.
