President Hassan Rouhani vowed on Friday that Iran would boost its missile capabilities despite warnings from Washington that it is ready to ditch a landmark nuclear deal over the issue. His comments came as Iran displayed a new missile at a military parade marking the anniversary of the outbreak of its devastating 1980-1988 war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. “Whether you like it or not, we are going to strengthen our military capabilities which are necessary for deterrence,” Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state television. Tehran says that the missiles are entirely legitimate under the terms of the deal as they are not designed to carry a nuclear warhead. But even he insisted that the core deal not be dumped.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 22, 2017 10:07 UTC