Iran says it will boost missile capabilities

LONDON: Iran will strengthen its missile capabilities and will not seek any country’s permission, President Hassan Rouhani said yesterday in a snub to demands from US President Donald Trump.

Rouhani was speaking at a military parade where an Iranian news agency said one of the weapons on display was a new ballistic missile with range of 2000km, capable of carrying several warheads.

At the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Trump said Iran was building its missile capability and accused it of exporting violence to Yemen, Syria and other parts of the Middle East.

He also criticised the 2015 pact the US and six other powers struck with Iran under which Teheran agreed to restrict its nuclear programme in return for relief from economic sanctions.

In a speech broadcast on state television, Rouhani said: ‘‘We will increase our military power as a deterrent. We will streng then our missile capabilities . . . We will not seek permission from anyone to defend our country.

‘‘All countries in the world supported the nuclear deal in the United Nations General Assembly this year . . . except the United States and the Zionist regime [Israel],’’ Rouhani said.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said the agreement must be changed or the US could not stick with it.

Iran has said its nuclear accord cannot be renegotiated.

Trump put Iran ‘‘on notice’’ in February for testfiring a ballistic missile and imposed new economic sanctions in July over its missile programme and ‘‘malign activities’’ in the Middle East.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday the US imposition of unilateral sanctions on Iran was ‘‘illegitimate and undermines the collective nature of international efforts’’. — Reuters