Iran to only use missiles in defense

Iran has assured the international community that its military capabilities will only be used to safeguard regional peace and stability.

In a Sunday press conference, Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar said recent large-scale maneuvers conducted in Iran prove that international sanctions will not weaken the resolve of the Armed Forces in defending the country’s territorial integrity.

“These maneuvers prove that international sanctions can never sabotage the Islamic Republic’s military self-sufficiency,” the Brigadier General said.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully tested advanced shore-to-sea, surface-to-surface and sea-to-air missiles in an extensive military maneuver which ended on Sunday.

Other Iranian officials have also stressed that Iran’s missile capabilities would only be used to defend the country in case an act of aggression is launched against the country.

“The Islamic Republic, as we have repeatedly insisted, is not a threat to any country… its defense capabilities will always be used to maintain peace and security in the region,” said Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham on Saturday.

“Our missile systems are operative, and positioned in a defensive array which enables us to provide a crushing defense in the shortest time possible,” said Iranian Air Force Commander General Hossein Salami on July 9.

The Commander of IRGC’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Brigadier General Seyyed Mohammad Hejazi, also described the missiles as ‘a defensive tool against invasions’ on July 10.

SBB/AA