Iran’s Defence Minister Amir Hatami says the Islamic Republic will strongly continue to develop its satellite carriers as it is the nation’s unquestionable right to possess such missiles.
Iran “may use a satellite for military purposes, but satellite carriers are a totally non-military issue”, Brigadier General Hatami said on Wednesday.
Possession of satellite carriers is the Iranian nation’s unquestionable and undeniable right, and that “we will strongly move the program forward, as there is not any prohibition thereof in the world,” he added.
Speaking to reporters on the margins of a cabinet session, the minister said “launching satellites and satellite carriers is a clear issue worldwide, and has nothing to do with the missile program.”
“What Iran has been called upon [under 2018 UN Security Council Resolution 2231] not to produce are missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and there is no such thing in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he explained.
The remarks come after the French foreign ministry issued a statement on Monday condemning Iran’s satellite launch, urging Tehran to respect its obligations under the 2018 UN Security Council resolution.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had also claimed that Iran’s satellite program is a cover-up for its development of ballistic missiles.
Stressing that all the missiles used by Iran have conventional warheads, General Hatami said, “Thank God, their [the missiles’] precision is very high, as the US felt the precision in Ain al-Assad, and thus we do not need anything else.”
