TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday criticized “purposeful commotion” created over Iran’s missile program by certain countries, saying the Iranian nation’s mind is fresh with the “bitter” memories of Saddam Hussein’s missile attacks on Iranian cities in the 1980s and they believe that Iran’s defense capability must not be open to negotiation.

In a meeting with the Dutch Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag, Rouhani said while Saddam was targeting Iranian civilian targets with missiles other countries refused to sell missiles to Iran to defend its people.

“Our people with this bitter historical experience and the national security of their country are sensitive to the raising of any issue in this regard and rightly believe that the country’s defense capability is not negotiable,” Rouhani insisted. 

In a separate meeting on Wednesday with Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis, Rouhani also criticized certain Western countries for selling sophisticated weapons to certain Arab countries in the region.

“All the countries should be committed to avoid turning the region into arms depot,” Rouhani asserted.

NA/PA