Iran says missile program aimed at defending national sovereignty

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Iran's missile program has been developed to defend the country's sovereignty and is "non-negotiable."



He made the remarks at a weekly press conference in response to a question about whether recent reports in U.S. media, regarding Israel's plans to prepare the ground for a possible new military action against Iran, were intended to pressure the country into acquiescing to negotiations over its missile program.



Citing unidentified sources, NBC News reported on Saturday that at a meeting later this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would seek to convince U.S. President Donald Trump that "Iran's expansion of its ballistic missile program poses a threat that could necessitate swift action."



Baghaei said, "Iran's missile program has been developed to solely defend the country's sovereignty and is basically not a subject of negotiation. Iran's defense capabilities have been designed to prevent aggressors from harboring the idea of attacking the country and are in no way something that can be negotiated or bargained about."