Tasnim – A ranking Iranian military official said French officials are not allowed to make any comments about Iran’s missile program or internal affairs, amid media attention about a visit to Tehran by France’s foreign minister, who has voiced concern about the Iranian missiles.

“The French are not only not allowed to comment on Iran’s missile capabilities, but should be also held accountable for their hostile measures against the Iranian nation over the past forty years, such as supports for Saddam (Hussein) during the (Iraqi) imposed war,” Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, head of the strategic-defense research center of the Armed Forces General Staff, told Tasnim.

Iran decides whether or not to allow visits by the foreign authorities with regard to its interests, the general added, stressing that foreigners are not permitted to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs.

The former Iranian defense minister also cautioned the European governments not to repeat the “strategic mistake” that the “bullying and racist president of the US” has made in dealing with Iran.

His comments came against a backdrop of controversial comments by France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian about Iran’s missile program ahead of his trip to Tehran early Monday.

"There are programs for missiles that can travel several thousand kilometers, which are not compatible with UN Security Council resolutions and which exceed the needs of defending Iran's borders," Le Drian told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper.

"If not tackled head on, this country risks new sanctions," he added.

In comments in October 2017, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei categorically rejected the idea of negotiations on Iran’s defense power, stressing that the country will press ahead with the plans to boost its might and build up its defense capabilities.

“As we have announced several times in the past and announce it once again, the country’s defense capabilities and power are not subject to negotiations and bargaining,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a graduation ceremony of Army cadets at the time.