Commander Bashes US for Comments on Iran’s Missile Program
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A top Iranian military official reminded the US to keep its nose out of Tehran’s defense program, stressing that the Iranian Armed Force will not allow any foreign country to set limits for its activities, including progress in the missile industry.
In comments on Friday, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri underscored that the country will press on with its military doctrine and defensive programs irrespective of what the “arrogant powers and aliens” might pursue.
He also reiterated that Iran’s missile power is by no means negotiable and any restriction on it is a red line for the country.
Iran will not get permission from anybody to boost its defense capabilities, the official added.
Jazayeri further called on the Iranian diplomatic bodies to show “timely and decisive” reaction to the “rude comments” made by the US officials, particularly by Secretary of State John Kerry, in order to dismiss any notion that Iranians might be polarized on the subject of military power and missile program.
His remarks came after Kerry said on Thursday that Washington was open to a “new arrangement” with Iran for peacefully resolving disputes such as Tehran’s ballistic missile tests.
Kerry noted that the US would continue to lift the economic sanctions against Iran that it agreed to as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), even while imposing new ones to counter Tehran’s missile tests, an effort now underway in the United Nations Security Council.
In late March, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei had underscored the need for boosting Iran’s defense capabilities, warning that enemies are making use of every tool available to undermine the Islamic Republic.
Ayatollah Khamenei said at the time that if the Islamic establishment seeks technology and negotiations but lacks defense might, it will have to buckle in the face of any weak country that poses threat to it.
In March, 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.
According to reports, Qadr-H missile has a range of 1,700 kilometers while Qadr-F missile can destroy targets some 2,000 kilometers away.