Iran to Continue Missile Program, Warns US

Local Editor

Iran on Saturday condemned new sanctions passed by the US Congress against its missile program, which President Donald Trump is set to sign into law, and vowed to continue it.

"We will continue with full power our missile program," foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi told state broadcaster IRIB.

He further added: "We consider the action by the US as hostile, reprehensible and unacceptable, and it's ultimately an effort to weaken the nuclear deal," referring to a 2015 agreement with the United States and other world powers that lifted some sanctions on Tehran.

"The military and missile fields... are our domestic policies and others have no right to intervene or comment on them." Qasemi said.

In parallel, the Iranian official stressed "We reserve the right to reciprocate and make an adequate response to the US actions."

The sanctions bill, which also targets Russia and North Korea, was passed by the US Senate on Thursday, two days after being approved by the House of Representatives.

On another level, Iran's Revolutionary Guard said revealed that a US Navy aircraft carrier fired a warning shot in an "unprofessional" confrontation with Iranian vessels, the official IRNA news agency reported.

IRNA quoted a statement from the Guard as saying that the USS Nimitz and an accompanying ship came near an Iranian oil offshore platform in the Persian Gulf and a helicopter from the ship hovered near vessels manned by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard.

The report said the confrontation took place Friday afternoon and the US navy ships left the area following the encounter.

iran | us | missile program| irgc

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team