DNA
\nDUBAI
\nIran said on Sunday its missile programme is defensive and not in breach of UN resolutions, following a US allegation that Tehran had carried out a new missile test.
\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday condemned what he described as Iran\u2019s testing of a medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads as a violation of the 2015 international agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme.
\n\u201cIran\u2019s missile programme is defensive in nature… There is no Security Council resolution prohibiting the missile programme and missile tests by Iran,\u201d Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying in response to Pompeo\u2019s remarks.
\nQasemi did not confirm or deny that Iran had carried out a new missile test.
\nUnder the UN resolution enshrining the 2015 nuclear deal with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, Iran is \u201ccalled upon\u201d to refrain for up o eight years from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons.
\nIran has repeatedly said its missile programme is purely defensive and denied its missiles are capable of being tipped with nuclear warheads.
\nQasemi, addressing Pompeo, said: \u201cIt is…ironic that you cite a resolution that you have not only breached through your unilateral and unlawful withdrawal form the (nuclear) accord but that you also encourage others to breach or even threaten to punish and sanction them if they carry it (accord) out.\u201d
\nPresident Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the nuclear deal, approved before he took office, in May and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.
\nTrump said the deal was flawed as it did not include curbs on Iran\u2019s development of ballistic missiles or its support for armed proxies in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DNA DUBAI Iran said on Sunday its missile programme is defensive and not in breach of UN resolutions, following a US allegation that Tehran had carried out a new missile test. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday condemned what he described as Iran\u2019s testing of a medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n