Iran has on Tuesday rejected calls from Europe and United States to hold ballistic missiles talks, but said it had not planned to increase its range.
The US President Donald Trump has pulled out of a nuclear deal with Iran in last year’s May and has reimposed sanctions on Iran, stating that the accord has not addressed the ballistic missiles of the Islamic Republic and what he saw it as a maligned influence on the region.
France, still committed to the nuclear deal, has said last week that it was ready to impose more sanctions on Iran if no progress was seen in talks on the weapon programs.
According to Reuters news reports, Iranian defence minister Amir Hatami was quoted by Tasnim news agency as saying, “The enemies say Iran’s missile power should be eliminated, but we have repeatedly said our missile capabilities are not negotiable.”
Also, the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council said Iran would continue to keep working to improve and enhance the missiles’ accuracy.
Ali Shamkhani, a close aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted by state-broadcaster IRIB as saying, “Iran has no scientific or operational restriction for increasing the range of its military missiles, but based on its defensive doctrine, it is continuously working on increasing the precision of the missiles, and has no intention to increase their range.”
A UN security council resolution has called upon Tehran to refrain itself from eight years working on the ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons. But however, Tehran said UN’s call didn’t amount to a binding order and has further denied that its ballistic missile is capable of delivering nuclear warheads.
The US has told Iran to stop developing its satellite-launching technology, stating it raised concerned that it too can deliver warheads.
Shamkhani said Iran would keep working on the technology “to improve the quality of people’s lives and increase the country’s technological prowess.”