Iran's missile self-sufficiency angers US, West: FM Zarif

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the United States and some Western countries are angry with Iran because the Islamic Republic has become self-sufficient in its missile industry.

According to Press TV, Zarif made the remarks while addressing a meeting in Tehran on Monday on the latest developments in the region and their impacts on the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“The reason why the US and some Western countries are angry [with the Islamic Republic] is that we make our missiles by relying on domestic specialists and are not dependent on them,” Iran's top diplomat said.

Back in December, Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said the Islamic Republic is currently one of the world’s topmost missile powers despite being subject to severe sanctions during the past 40 years.

“Today, Iran is among the world’s topmost powers in building missiles, radars, armored vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),” the defense minister said, emphasizing that Iran's defense power is meant to send the message of peace and friendship to other nations.

Zarif further said that thanks to the Islamic Revolution, Iran is not dependent on others in any area, therefore, “We will not submit to hegemony [of other countries] while we do not seek hegemony [over others].”

“When we needed to have missiles to defend our country's sovereignty, no country gave us missiles,” Iran's foreign minister said, adding, “It is not only in the field of missile [industry] that we have achieved such progress, [because] Iranian specialists have always turned difficulties into opportunities of advancement, and building missiles is just an example.”

Zarif pointed to Iran's military and diplomatic power and said, "No one in the world makes decision for us and we ourselves make decisions for our fate…in the turbulent West Asia region."

Since the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the country has managed to develop such a sense of self-esteem that it strongly resists against world powers' excessive demands in various fields, he added.

The Iranian Navy in February test-fired three cruise missiles and several types of torpedoes during major drills held in a vast area from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean.

The Qader and Qadeer missiles were fired from Iran's Shaheed Naqdi destroyer and the missile-launching frigate Tabarzin respectively on the second day of the massive three-day drill, codenamed Velayat 97.

ME