TEHRAN, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Iran would not abandon its advanced deterrent missile program, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said here on Monday, according to Tasnim news agency.
Lieutenant Commander of IRGC, Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami, dismissed the claims against Iran's missile program, saying that all of the Islamic republic's activities are within the framework of the international law.
"Our enemies are threatening us, they want to disarm us," Salami said, adding that "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," he stressed.
In a phone call on Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron urged his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani to work together in a number of issues in the coming weeks to preserve the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, to discuss Iran's ballistic missile program, and the crises in the Middle East.
Besides, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed concern over Iran's ballistic missile program at the sidelines of a meeting with Macron on Thursday.
Iran has stressed that its defense program is not up for negotiation, as it is of completely "defensive and deterrent nature" and is not targeted against any country.
