News / Defense

Iran tests missiles on regular basis: Defense minister

Wednesday, 31 July 2019 10:23 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 31 July 2019 2:03 PM ]

Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami speaks to reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting in Tehran, on July 31, 2019. (Photo by IRNA)

Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami says Iranian Armed Forces carry out their activities, including missile tests, according to plan and “on a regular basis.”

“These activities are normal work all over the world,” Hatami said on Wednesday, referring to the activities of the Armed Forces.

“If certain parties do some kind of media maneuver [to portray things otherwise], it is because they are pursuing specific objectives of their own. Our Armed Forces, though, carry out their activities, including missile tests, entirely regularly,” the Iranian defense minister said.

He said research work was being planned and executed regularly as well.

Some parties to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal have attempted to include Iran’s missile program in multilateral talks with Tehran in what they say could be a potential expansion of regular negotiations over the Iran deal.

Tehran has said its missile program is non-negotiable.

On Friday, CNN said Iran had test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile.

It said the missile was “a Shahab-3” and that the test was “part of Iran’s efforts to improve the range and accuracy [of the weapon].”