TEHRAN – Iran now has long-range ballistic missiles with greater precision, its defense minister said on Thursday, rejecting reports that Tehran has halted its missile program after a recent missile launch that drew a response from Washington.

“We have increased the range and precision of our long-range, ground-to-ground ballistic missiles,” Hossein Dehqan was quoted as saying in an event in Noushahr, northern Iran. 

“We have achieved greater precision in longer ranges,” he added.

The Iranian army has also managed to increase shelf life of its missiles up to 20 years, Dehqan explained.

On Jan. 29, Iran launched a new type of medium-range ballistic missile prompting an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Jan. 31.

A day later the White House issued a strongly worded statement from National Security Adviser Mike Flynn putting Iran "on notice." President Trump tweeted a similar statement soon after.

Days after the missile test, American intelligence officials claimed that Iran had quickly cleaned up the same site and prepared another missile on the same launchpad near Semnan, about 140 miles east of Tehran, before it was removed.

Washington called on the Security Council to look into the missile launch, arguing that it violated UNSC Resolution 2231, which backs an international nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers.

The resolution calls upon Iran “not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology,” until eight years after the implementation of the deal.  

This while Tehran insists that its missiles are not capable of carrying nuclear warheads and are for defense only.

Iran uses its “conventional” missiles to “legitimately” defend its territory, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif stated.

AK/AK