Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi has dismissed French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s threat to impose sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missiles, saying the Islamic Republic’s missile power is non-negotiable.
“Iran’s military capabilities are part of the country’s legitimate defence power and a guarantor of the Islamic Republic’s national security, which is based on the doctrine of deterrence,” Qassemi said in a Friday statement.
The spokesman said the Islamic Republic of Iran has designed its defence capabilities based on a realistic assessment of the existing threats and will strengthen them to the extent it deems necessary.
“Iran’s missile power is non-negotiable and this fact has been conveyed to the French side in continuous political dialogue between Iran and France,” he said.
The spokesman said the French top diplomat’s threat to impose new missile sanctions is against the spirit of political talks and cooperation between the two countries, stressing that any new sanctions by European states would convince Iran to reconsider its interaction with these countries.