Iran Not to Abandon Deterrent Missile Power, IRGC Commander Says
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Hossein Salami described Iran’s advanced missiles as “defense assets” and said the country would not accede to abandoning its missile program.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony held in Tehran on Monday to celebrate the Persian Gulf National Day, Brigadier General Salami dismissed some countries’ claims against Iran’s missile program and said all of the Islamic Republic’s activities are within the framework of the international law.
“While our enemies are threatening us, they want us to disarm,” he deplored. “The request is immoral, irrational, and ambitious.”
“Missiles are our defensive assets and the main elements of our deterrent power and we can never accept to disarm ourselves…,” the commander stressed.
The remarks came as French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump have recently indicated they want to aim for a new deal to curb Iran's ballistic missiles program that would run alongside the existing international nuclear pact known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Iran has repeatedly underlined that test of missiles is an issue relating to defense of its territorial integrity and has nothing to do with the 2015 nuclear deal.
Trump in January set a 120-day deadline for US lawmakers and European allies to “fix” the JCPOA or face a US exit from his predecessor Barack Obama's main foreign policy achievement.
Since the historic deal was signed by Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) in Vienna in July 2015, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly confirmed the Islamic Republic’s compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, but some other parties, especially the US, have failed to live up to their undertakings.