Iran Never After Missiles Capable of Carrying Nuclear Warheads: Spokesman
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi shrugged off some Western countries’ concerns over the Islamic Republic’s missile program, saying Tehran has never had any plans for developing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Qassemi responded to anti-Iran comments made by some Western officials as well as a request by the UK and France for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the Islamic Republic’s missile program.
“…The nature of Iran’s missile program is completely deterrent and it is part of the country's unstoppable defense plan, and we certainly do not set our defense agenda based on the groundless concerns… expressed by some countries far from the region,” he stressed.
“We deeply believe expressing such concerns is not based on logical grounds, but, more than anything, an offspring of Iranophobic policies and approaches pursued by certain countries and regimes in the world,” the spokesman stated.
Qassemi further emphasized that in Iran’s transparent missile and defense policies, there is no plan for developing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
In a statement earlier on Tuesday, Iran’s UN mission rejected as baseless US claims that the Islamic Republic’s missile program is not in conformity with the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, saying such claims are in line with Washington’s “deceptive and hostile policy”.
“Iran firmly rejects any arbitrary interpretation of the provisions of Resolution 2231, according to which Iran is called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons,” the mission said.
The statement came shortly after Security Council met behind closed-doors to discuss Iran's latest alleged missile test, which the US and its allies said may have been in violation of Resolution 2231. The session ended with no joint statement.
