TEHRAN – The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force on Tuesday strongly rejected the claim that the U.S. has been sabotaging Iran’s missile program, saying it is just a lie.

“If this is not a lie, then why are they calling for missile negotiations? But I say that it is a lie,” Amir Ali Hajizadeh said, Fars reported.

Addressing a meeting in the Western city of Hamedan, the brigadier general said when the U.S. and Israel attempted to sabotage Iran’s missile industry, the country’s missile experts not only foiled their plot vigilantly but also turned it into a big and valuable opportunity for the country.

Hajizadeh referred to U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks who asked his predecessors about the reason for such huge expenses in the Middle East in the past few years, saying their failed attempts to sabotage Iran’s missile program was one of the places that the money was spent.

His remarks came after the U.S. media claimed that the Trump administration had reportedly revived a secret plan to sabotage Iran’s ballistic missiles as part of its broader plan to weaken the Islamic Republic’s military might and harm its economy.

Citing current and former administration officials, The New York Times reported on February 13 that the clandestine operation had been ongoing for some time now but it was practically impossible to determine whether it has been successful and if yes, to what extent.

The officials claimed the White House program might have caused a number of Iranian recent missile launches to fail over the past years.

According to the New York Times, the program was created under former President George W. Bush, who sought to disrupt Iran’s aerospace program by slipping defective parts and materials into its supply chains.

According to the report, the sabotage attempts were sped up during the early years of former President Barack Obama’s time in the White House. However, they were toned down in 2017, when Mike Pompeo, who would go on to become the country’s Secretary of State, took over as the director of the CIA.

SP/PA