Hostile rhetoric and actions of the new US president Donald Trump will not be left unanswered, a senior Iranian official said, adding that Iran seeks stability and peace in the region and only tests new weapons to bolster the country’s security and to protect allies and friends, RT reports.
Recent Iranian ballistic missile tests were not conducted to intimidate or threaten any country in the region, but solely for the purpose of bolstering the country’s defensive capabilities, Iranian Parliamentary Director General for International Affairs and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told RT in an exclusive interview.
“The defense policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is an internal matter. Given the complexity of today's world, we are carefully working to improve the level of our defense. I consider maneuvers and advanced rocket tests an internal affair, with the aim of strengthening the country’s defense structures.”
“Iran’s military programs are designed to protect the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Abdollahian said. “Furthermore, they also exist to protect our friends in the region. There are some who are hostile to the West Asia region, the Middle East and the Persian Gulf.”
Since the Iranian nuclear deal is an international agreement, Trump’s desire to unilaterally cancel it constitutes his disregard for UN Security Council resolutions. If the new US President proceeds with his campaign promises on the matter, the Iranian answer will be “effective and immediate.”
Iran however, would not start developing nuclear weapons, and never aimed to do so, Abdollahian stressed. “If the Americans want to tear up the agreement, we are ready to burn it,” he warned.
