President Rouhani: Iran will continue to build missiles
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – In-line with the nuclear deal, Iran will continue to develop missile technology, President Hassan Rouhani underscored in a speech to parliament.
“We have built, are building and will continue to build missiles, and this violates no international agreements,” Rouhani told lawmakers on Sunday, according to Reuters.
His remarks come as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano, is in the Islamic Republic for meetings with Rouhani and with Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
US Congress voted to place sanctions on Tehran's missile program, while the White House has indicated it would prefer to separate nuclear from missile restrictions if it cannot get a new nuclear deal, also referred to as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“Iran will not be the first country that will exit the JCPOA and it will be committed to it until benefiting from it,” Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted Rouhani as saying.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons. It claims its nuclear technology is for energy and its missiles are only for defensive purposes.
The deal removes international economic sanctions on Tehran in exchange for its adherence to nuclear inspections.
The landmark nuclear deal was reached between Iran and the permanent members of the UN Security Council and the European Union (China, France, Russia, the UK and the US) plus Germany (P5+1) under former President Barack Obama's administration in July 2015 and came into effect in January 2016.
It has been reaffirmed eight times.
“We have built, are building and will continue to build missiles, and this violates no international agreements,” Rouhani told lawmakers on Sunday, according to Reuters.
His remarks come as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano, is in the Islamic Republic for meetings with Rouhani and with Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
US Congress voted to place sanctions on Tehran's missile program, while the White House has indicated it would prefer to separate nuclear from missile restrictions if it cannot get a new nuclear deal, also referred to as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“Iran will not be the first country that will exit the JCPOA and it will be committed to it until benefiting from it,” Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted Rouhani as saying.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons. It claims its nuclear technology is for energy and its missiles are only for defensive purposes.
The deal removes international economic sanctions on Tehran in exchange for its adherence to nuclear inspections.
The landmark nuclear deal was reached between Iran and the permanent members of the UN Security Council and the European Union (China, France, Russia, the UK and the US) plus Germany (P5+1) under former President Barack Obama's administration in July 2015 and came into effect in January 2016.
It has been reaffirmed eight times.