Iranian president: No letup in missile production

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that Tehran has no plans to let up on its missile production — an announcement that came days after U.S. lawmakers in the House voted to impose new sanctions against Iran’s ballistic missile program.

Rouhani in a speech to parliament insisted that the country’s production of missiles does not violate a 2015 agreement aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions, according to Press TV, an Iranian state-sponsored, English language news outlet.

“They are faulting us over our weapons,” Rouhani said. “We will build, produce and stockpile any weapons of any kind that we need in order to defend ourselves and the territorial integrity of our beloved nation.”

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“We have built, are building and will continue to build missiles, and this violates no international agreements.”

He also slammed as “ridiculous” the suggestion by some U.S. officials that the 2015 nuclear deal can and should be renegotiated, and accused Washington of reneging on its commitment to the accord.

President Trump announced earlier this month that he would not recertify Iran’s compliance with the deal, arguing that Tehran has violated the spirit of the agreement. In doing so, Trump passed the torch to Congress to decide whether to reimpose sanctions lifted under the United Nations-backed deal.

Congress now has less than 60 days to decide whether to reimpose the penalties lifted under the agreement. If lawmakers vote to do so, it would likely lead to a breakdown in the accord.

Rouhani said on Sunday that Trump’s decision to disavow the nuclear agreement would cost the U.S. international credibility, and that doing so had effectively upended Washington’s ability to negotiate with countries.

“How do you talk about negotiations when you have not been committed to your previous negotiations with Iran?” Rouhani asked. “You have become untrustworthy before the people.”