Defying Trump, Iran says will boost missile capabilities

LONDON: Iran will strengthen its missile capabilities and will not seek permission from any country to do so, President Hassan Rouhani said on Friday in an undisguised snub to demands by US President Donald Trump. Tasnim news agency reported that Iran had announced a new ballistic missile with range of 2,000 km (1,200 miles), capable of carrying several warheads.

The report, which gave few other details, quoted the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace division, Amirali Hajizadeh, speaking on the sidelines of a military parade in Tehran.

At the annual United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump accused Iran of building “dangerous” missiles and exporting violence to Yemen, Syria and other parts of the region.

Addressing an armed forces parade in Tehran, Rouhani said Iran would not stop building up its military forces.

“We will increase our military power as a deterrent. We will strengthen our missile capabilities … We will not seek permission from anyone to defend our country,” Rouhani said in a speech broadcast on state television.

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