TEHRAN - Majid Takht Ravanchi, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said on Thursday that Iran’s missile program is non-negotiable, noting it falls within “national defense”.

“We will not back down from our position on this program which is an issue of the national defense,” Takht Ravanchi told IRIB.

He noted that Iran’s conventional missile program will never be included in the 2231 resolution, which endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal.

“This resolution which was approved by the U.S. itself and other countries explains that only missiles which are designed to carry nuclear warheads are banned,” stated Takht Ravanchi who acted as nuclear negotiator with the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany).

He added that Iran’s missiles do not carry nuclear warheads.

Reportedly, the U.S. Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, was in New York on April 30 and May 1 and held meeting with UN Security Council members against Iran’s missile program.

Iran’s mission to the UN on Wednesday reacted to Hook’s meetings and said that Washington is abusing the Security Council by trying to spread fake allegations aimed at advancing its own malicious policies against Iran.

Iran has repeatedly said that its missile program is deterrent.

The U.S. officials have consistently claimed that Iran’s ballistic missile tests have violated the UN Security Council Resolution 2231. Iran has dismissed the charges.

Mohammad Ali Jafari, the former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), said in June 2018 that the range of Iranian missiles is 2000 kilometers and the country does not need to extend it.

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said in March that Tehran decides about its missile program based on its interests and the issue is “non-negotiable”.

“We take decision about range, precision, speed and destruction power of our missiles based on our interests and threats and this process is not negotiable,” Shamkhani stated.

NA/PA