Alwaght- Iran will continue to maintain its advanced deterrent missile program and rejects calls to disarm, a senior commander of Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has said.
Deputy commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Hossein Salam made the remarks came on the sidelines of a gathering at the Supreme National Defense University in Tehran Monday increased US-led pressure to weaken Iran's missile capability.
"Missiles are among the defensive assets and main deterrent elements of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we can never accept to disarm ourselves of our deterrent capability," Salami said.
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.
The commander also touched on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's remarks during his Sunday visit to Saudi Arabia and Israel where he accused Iran of destabilizing the Middle East.
"Today, it is the Islamic Republic of Iran which is putting an end to terrorism in the region, but the United States wants to create an element of threat out of Iran for Arab countries in order to manufacture a philosophy for its presence in the region," he said.
According to the commander, US strategy in West Asia and the Persian Gulf region is to create "a security riddle and a balance of power."
"The United States, in order to maintain its dominance over Arab governments and to create a permanent need for its presence in the Persian Gulf littoral states and West Asia, is manufacturing this security riddle," Salami said.
"Under this formula, the Americans consider the Islamic Republic of Iran as a threat and falsely present Iran as a sponsor of terrorists. This is while the entire world knows that Iran today is on the front line of fighting terrorism," Salami added.
He pointed out that Iran helped end ISIS's reign in the region with "prudence and reflection" and supported Syria and Iraq to defeat the terrorist outfit.
Salami said Iran's actions are within the framework of international rules and regulations, adding the country has never threatened any country and continues to respect the territorial integrity of other nations.
