Iran’s top security official said on Tuesday Tehran has no plan to increase the range of its missiles, but stressed that the country will not give in to demands by the United States and Europe to curb its defense program.
Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani also said Iranian experts will continue their endeavors to enhance the accuracy of missiles, IRNA reported.
US President Donald Trump scrapped the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in May and reimposed harsh sanctions by saying the UN-endorsed agreement does not address Iran’s missile development program and its regional activities that Washington claims are “destabilizing”.
France, which has adhered to the nuclear accord and is working with its European allies to develop compensatory measures to secure Tehran’s financial interests for saving the hard-earned nuclear settlement, has said it is ready to impose sanctions on Iran if no progress is made in efforts to address the issue of ballistic missiles.
Defensive Doctrine’s Requirement
Iran faces no scientific or operational limitation on increasing the range of its missiles, but in line with its defensive doctrine, it is constantly working to boost the precision of its missiles, and has no intention to increase their range, Shamkhani added.
Defense Minister Amir Hatami also said on Tuesday, “The enemies say Iran’s missile power should be curtailed, but we have reiterated that our missile capabilities are non-negotiable,” Tasnim News Agency reported.
A UN Security Council resolution that enshrines the nuclear deal calls on Tehran to refrain for up to eight years from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons.
Iran says the call is not binding and that its missiles are not designed to carry nuclear arms.
Washington has also told Tehran to stop developing its space launch technology, asserting it is concerned that the same know-how could be used to launch warheads, an objective that Iran says it has never pursued.
Shamkhani said Iran would keep working to master space technology and tap its peaceful applications to safeguard the interests and wellbeing of the Iranian people.
