TEHRAN (Tasnim) � Iranian Army�s Lieutenant Commander Brigadier General Abdolrahim Mousavi highlighted the need for enhancement of the country�s defense power, particularly in the field of missiles, stressing that Tehran needs no permission for developing its capabilities.

It is the defense power of the country that sets the ground for diplomacy and progress, General Mousavi said Friday, addressing a ceremony held in the Iranian city of Zanjan, 300km west of Tehran.

�We do not need anyone�s permission for the enhancement of our defense power, and only listen to the orders of the Commander of Iranian Armed Forces (Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei),� he went on to say.

In similar remarks in late March, Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said the country will never ask permission from anyone to strengthen its defense and missile capabilities, stressing that a harsh response awaits any threat against the Islamic Republic.

General Dehqan told the state television on March 30 that Iran �has never had and will never have an aggressive approach� toward any nation and country, but will make use of every tool at its disposal in the face of enemies� threats.

Emphasizing that the Islamic Republic has never sought �unconventional weapons� in its defense doctrine despite what the West is trying to assert, he said Tehran needs �no permission� to enhance its defense might.

Iran has repeatedly announced that test of missiles is an issue relating to defense of its territorial integrity.

On March 9, the country�s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) forces test-fired two types of Qadr ballistic missiles during the large-scale drills, codenamed �Might of Velayat�.

The two ballistic missiles, Qadr-H and Qadr-F, were launched from the heights of East Alborz Mountains, north of Iran, and hit targets on the Makran coasts, southeast of the country.
Some Western countries have claimed that Iran�s missile tests violate the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that endorsed a nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) on July 14, 2015.

Iran, however, insists that the missile launches were not against the Security Council resolution.

By Tasnim News Agency