Iran’s missile capabilities are non-negotiable: Iranian defense minister

TEHRAN,Apr.17(MNA) – Iran’s missile program is non-negotiable and Tehran will not tolerate any suggestions in this regard, Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan told on Wednesday. Chief U.S. nuclear negotiator Wendy Sherman told a Senate hearing in February that Iran's ballistic missile program would be addressed as part of a comprehensive nuclear deal. Dehqan stressed that Iran’s defensive capabilities has never been part of nuclear talks and never will. On March 16, a number of Iranian MPs issued a statement saying that Iran’s defense capabilities should not be discussed during the negotiations. Dehgan said the West claims that Iran might be able to install nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles but Iran has no intention to produce nuclear weapons, and moreover Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has banned the production of nuclear weapons. The Supreme Leader has issued a fatwa declaring that the production, stockpiling, and use of nuclear weapons are all haram (prohibited in Islam).