TEHRAN – The Iranian MPs voted for a bill on Sunday to increase the country’s missile power with the aim of boosting the Islamic Republic’s deterrent and defense capability.

The MPs listed the following steps that should to be taken to upgrade the country’s deterrence power:

- Upgrading and increasing missile production

- Developing and strengthening anti-aircraft warfare system at various short, medium and long ranges

- Developing and updating secure communication networks.

- Strengthening electronic warfare power

- Making armed systems smart

- Designing and producing necessary items to counter terrorist groups

- Equipping navy forces with advances weapons

After a successful test-firing of two ballistic missiles by the IRGC in March the U.S. launched a propaganda campaign against Iran, claiming that the tests were a breach of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that endorsed the JCPOA.

However, the resolution does not ban the testing of conventional weapons by Iran. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also said the missiles tested by Iran are not programmed to carry nuclear warheads.

“It (Resolution 2231) doesn’t call upon Iran not to test ballistic missiles, or ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads ... it calls upon Iran not to test ballistic missiles that were ‘designed’ to be capable,” Zarif said in a speech at the Australian National University in Canberra on March 16.

“That word took me about seven months to negotiate, so everybody knew what it meant,” he said, referring to “designed.”

Zarif added that under the international nuclear agreement that resulted in the lifting of UN sanctions, which he had also negotiated, Iran would never develop nuclear weapons.

Iranian officials have said Tehran will not compromise on its defense capability.

Zarif said in a tweet on March 15 that if Iran had missiles probably Saddam Hussein did not invade Iran or refused to bombard civilians.

“If we had missiles during Saddam’s war on us, they may have discouraged or at least reduced his indiscriminate attacks on our civilians.”

He also said, “Iran hasn’t attacked any country in 250 years. But when Saddam rained missiles on us and gassed our people for 8 yrs, no one helped us.”

NA/PA