20 Apr 2024
Monday 9 October 2017 - 17:10
Story Code : 278787

Spokesman: Missile program no issue for negotiation

FNA- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi reiterated his country's opposition to any kind of talks with foreign powers over its missile and defensive programs.

"We have not changed our position and have several times repeated that our missile issues are a part of our defensive policies that are not in violation of the (UNSC) Resolution 2231 at all," Qassemi told reporters in Tehran on Monday.

"We dont allow other governments to interfere" in our domain of affairs, he added.

In relevant remarks in August, Qassemi blasted the US officials' remarks against the country's missile program, stressing that Washington is not entitled to speak about Iran's internal affairs.

"The issue with the missile is internal, defensive and related to deterrence which is in no violation of Resolution 2231 and is not related to them (the Americans)," Qassemi said.

Asked about the US officials' demand for inspecting military centers in Iran, he described it as humorous, saying that anything necessary has been mentioned in the (nuclear) negotiations and speaking of such visit is a "dream that will never come true".

Qassemi added that Iran is a country which has the lowest defense budget in the region but meantime relies on its youth to develop defensive capabilities.

His remarks came after Head of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Public Relations Department General Ramezan Sharif underlined that all the Iranian people and government support reinvigoration of the country's missile power.

"There is a good single voice in support of boosting the country's missile power," General Sharif told reporters in a press conference in the same month.

Stressing the deterrent nature of Iran's missile power, he said based on the guidelines of Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, missiles have been built to safeguard the country's security and confront the states which intend to harm its security.

Also, early July, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani stressed that the country has increased its deterrence and defense power by developing different state-of-the-art missiles.

"Iran's indigenized missile power has been developing for years based on the country's need to create a deterrence power," Shamkhani told reporters in the Northeastern city of Mashhad.

Noting that Iran has reinvigorated the precision-striking power, range and destruction power of its missile throughout years, he said, "Today, it (the missile program) is considered as one of the pillars of the Islamic Republic of Iran's power."
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