Iran’s defense minister says his country’s missile program will not be deterred by the United States sanctions.
Defense minister Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan claims Iran will continue its ballistic missile development and will announce a new Iranian-made missile in the near future. The United States Department of the Treasury began implementing a new round of sanctions on Iran’s missile program Sunday in response to two missile tests conducted late last year. (RELATED: US Applies Sanctions On Iran’s Missile Program)
“[Any] attempt to impose new sanctions [against Iran] under irrelevant pretexts is indicative of the continued US hostile policy and acrimony toward the Iranian nation, and a futile effort to undermine Iran’s defense might,” says Dehqan Monday.
Iran’s foreign ministry echoed Dehqan, saying in a statement: “We will respond to such propaganda stunts and disruptive measures by more robustly pursuing our lawful missile program and promoting our defense capabilities and national security.”
The foreign ministry’s statement claims Iran’s missile program is purely a defensive measure. The missile tested last year is known as the Emad, and has a range of approximately 1,180 miles, well within the reach of most key cities in the Middle East and parts of southern Europe.
“The Iranian missile program has by no means been designed to carry nuclear weapons and is not in contravention of any international principle,” says the foreign ministry statement. (RELATED: Iran Ups Nuclear Threat, Tests Ballistic Missile)
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