Tehran, Oct 29 (AFP) Iran's president today said hiscountry would continue building weapons including developingmissiles as the United States prepares new sanctions over itsballistic missile programme.
"To defend our nation and territorial integrity, we willbuild all the weapons we will need," Hassan Rouhani toldparliament in statements broadcast on state television.
Recent Iranian missile launches have triggered USsanctions and accusations they violate the spirit of a 2015nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.
Signed by Iran, Germany, Britain, China, France, Russiaand the United States, the landmark accord saw economicsanctions on Iran lifted in exchange for Tehran curbing itsnuclear activities.
"We have built missiles, we are building some and willcontinue to do so because it does not violate anyinternational regulations -- not even the UN SecurityCouncil's Resolution 2231" endorsing the deal, Rouhani said.
Under Resolution 2231, Tehran is "called upon" to refrainfrom carrying out launches of missiles capable of deliveringnuclear weapons.
Iran says all of its missiles are designed to carryconventional warheads only.
But the United States and France say the missile launchesdo not comply with the UN resolution.
This month, US President Donald Trump said a "totaltermination" of the nuclear deal remained possible, afterrefusing to certify the 2015 accord and leaving its fate tothe US Congress.
On Thursday, Congress passed new sanctions in response toIran's ballistic missiles programme.
Tehran views Trump's hostile rhetoric and the new USsanctions as a violation of the nuclear deal.
In parliament, Rouhani accused the United States of beingresponsible for "insecurity" in the Middle East. (AFP)CPS.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.
