Iran to Hasten Missile Program As New Sanctions Loom

A number of Iranian MPs thanked President Hassan Rouhani for his decree addressed to the Defense Minister urging faster development of the country’s missile program.

The decree came a day after a report by The Wall Street Journal that Washington is preparing sanctions against firms and individuals in Iran, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates over alleged links to Iran’s ballistic missile program.

The letter signed by eight MPs, including prominent figures such as Ahmad Tavakkoli, Elyas Naderan and Esmail Kowsari, demanded the Rouhani administration to declare Iran’s official stance against recent anti-Iranian measures by the US as soon as possible.

The letter draws upon the Quran to recommend the administration not to change its attitude toward the enemy after the nuclear deal but warns the officials at the same time that Islam does not permit abjuration before the enemy has failed to keep its promises.

In a similar letter, a top official and former IRGC commander has thanked President Hassan Rouhani for his swift follow-up order to reports of new U.S. sanctions to be ratified against Iran, obliging the Defense Ministry to speed up Iran’s missile program.

It is hoped that with your support, the range of Iran’s missiles surpasses 5,000 kilometers in the near future, said Expediency Council Secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, in an open letter to Rouhani.

Missiles with a 5,000-kilometer range would be able to threaten the U.S. air base in Diego Garcia, which was used for Operation Eagle Claw, the former commander stated as quoted by Tehran Times.

An IRGC commander also reacted to the looming sanctions in a speech made before Friday prayers, yesterday in Tehran.

Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Hossein Salami underlined that Iran will not hesitate a moment to develop its deterrent power against the threats posed by the hegemonic powers.

“The Iranian nation should be informed that in our arsenal, we have hundreds of long tunnels replete with missiles. All of them are ready to be launched, defending the dignity, independence, and freedom of the nation and other Muslims of the world,” he was quoted as saying in a speech before Friday prayers in Tehran where he added Iran faces a lack of space to stock its missiles.

“We will not stop developing our defense and deterrent power and this is a demand by the Muslim nation of Iran,” Brigadier General Salami said in response to the US government’s plans to impose new sanctions over a ballistic missile Iran tested in October.

“This is because we have learned from history that whenever any Muslim country became weak, the US, Britain and Israel either attacked and occupied them or bombarded and debased them,” he added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the commander vehemently denied Washington’s recent claim about a “provocative” rocket launch by Iran’s naval forces near a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz, saying that in case of launching a rocket, the Islamic Republic is powerful and brave enough to announce it openly.