Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Tehran, December 23 (Xinhua) — Iran's missile program was developed to protect the country's sovereignty and is "non-negotiable," Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said at a weekly press conference on Monday.
The diplomat thus responded to a question about whether recent reports in the American media about Israel's plans to prepare the ground for a possible new military action against Iran were aimed at forcing the Islamic Republic to agree to negotiations on its missile program.
Citing anonymous sources, NBC News reported on Saturday that at a meeting later in December, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will try to convince US President Donald Trump that "the expansion of Iran's ballistic missile program poses a threat that may require swift action."
"Iran's missile program was developed solely to protect the country's sovereignty and is, in essence, not subject to negotiation. Iran's defense capabilities are designed to prevent aggressors from conceiving of an attack on the country and are in no way subject to negotiation or bargaining," stated E. Baghaei.
He criticized the West's "blatant hypocrisy" regarding Iran's missile capabilities, stressing that Western powers and Israel are trying to portray the Islamic Republic's missile program as a threat, while supplying Israel with large quantities of weapons. –0–
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