TEHRAN – The commander of the Iranian Air Force on Monday strongly dismissed Western proposals for negotiations on Iran’s missile program, asserting it is “a state red line”.

“Iran’s defense might does not threaten the region,” Hassan Shah Safi told a conference of foreign military attaches in Tehran, stressing that missile capability “is attached to the country’s preservation and national security.”

He said an ongoing U.S.-Israeli-led campaign against Iran’s missile power is part of a grand scheme to limit Iran’s defense power so that they would pursue their regional policies with more ease and peace of mind.

SP/PA