TEHRAN – The deputy chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has warned Europeagainst forcing the Islamic Republic into boosting the range of itsmissiles by trying to halt their development.
“If the Europeans, or anyone else, want to conspire to disarm Iran ofmissiles, we will be forced to make a strategic leap,” the guards’ deputycommander Brigadier-General Hossein Salami said on state TV on Saturday.
“All that hear me today, come to terms with the new reality of Iran’smissile might: there are no obstacles or technical limitations to usincreasing (their) range,” he added.
The Islamic Republic develops its missile technology according to a”defensive strategy” which changes according to need, he said.
Earlier Saturday, Iran announced the “successful test” of a new cruisemissile with a range of over 1,350 kilometres (840 miles), coinciding withthe anniversary of the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Defence Minister Amir Hatami said the Hoveizeh cruise missile hadsuccessfully hit its targets, calling it the “long arm of the IslamicRepublic of Iran”.
Iran reined in most of its nuclear programme under a landmark 2015 dealwith major powers, but has kept up development of its ballistic missiletechnology.
Washington withdrew from the accord in May and reimposed sanctions againstIran, citing the missile programme among its reasons.
European governments have stuck by the agreement, although some havedemanded a new section to address Iran’s ballistic missile programme andits intervention in regional conflicts including Yemen.
Iran has voluntarily limited the range of its missiles to 2,000 kilometres(1,250 miles), but that is still enough to hit its arch-enemy Israel and USbases in the Middle East.
Washington and its allies have accused Tehran of pursuing enhanced missilecapabilities that also threaten Europe.
Tehran denies this, insisting its missile programme is “purely defensive.”
The weapon tested Saturday takes its name from a city in the southwesternprovince of Khuzestan that was devastated in the 1980-1988 war againstSaddam Hussein’s Iraq.
Salami on Saturday warned world powers “not to seek (new) negotiations ormake recommendations or requests on Iran’s missile power”.
“Our enemies only understand the language of force,” he said.
“If you cannot talk to them in that language, they will use it to talk toyou.” – APP/AFP