Tehran: Iran's missile program is non-negotiable

Iran's missile program is non-negotiable and the tests will continue, the spokesman of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bahram Ghasemi, said today, a day after EU diplomats criticized Tehran regarding the missile tests, reports AFP.

"Iran's defense capabilities must not be compromised and cannot be negotiated under any circumstances," Ghasemi told IRIB state television, adding that the missile tests were carried out as part of Iran's defense policy.

EU foreign ministers, at a meeting in Brussels on Monday, called on Tehran to refrain from testing ballistic missiles, the French agency recalls.

The Iranian military has carried out a number of missile tests in recent months, which the US and European governments have assessed as violating Iran's obligations under the nuclear deal reached last year.

Western powers claim that Iran's missiles can carry nuclear warheads, in violation of a deal under which Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of global sanctions.

At yesterday's meeting, the heads of the Union's diplomacy called on all parties to respect that agreement.