Despite Western pressures, Iran is keen to develop its missile program

Tabnak – While the western countries are continuing to pressure Iran over its regional activities as well as missile program, Iranian military officials are reiterating their position of non-negotiability of the country’s defense potentials. They also warn the enemies over any possible plan to hit the Islamic Republic.

In this vein, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says defense and missile capabilities are Iran's red line, stressing that Tehran has not held and will never hold any negotiations with Europeans in this regard.

"Based on previous experience, we should make efforts to boost defensive capabilities with the purpose of guaranteeing the security of our country and nation," IRGC spokesman, Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif, said in an interview with Lebanon's Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network on Saturday.

He added that Iran's defense power would serve the interests of the country's allies as well and emphasized that the Islamic Republic would never yield to pressure to stop upgrading its military equipment or halt the work on boosting their precision and speed.

Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami also said in April that the Islamic Republic was determined to boost its deterrent power, stressing that the Iranian nation, particularly the Armed Forces, were not fearful of any enemy.

Also in April, Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) had described missiles as Iran's "main defensive asset" and therefore indispensable to its military might.

"Missiles are among the defensive assets and main deterrent elements of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we can never accept to disarm ourselves of our deterrent capability," Brigadier General Hossein Salami said on April 30th.

Meanwhile, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri says any threat or possible act of aggression by enemies will be met with a firm and crushing response.

Baqeri made the remarks in a message issued on Saturday on the occasion of the 29th anniversary of the passing away of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, and pro-Palestinian International Quds Day, falling on the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan.

He said the strong Iranian Armed Forces would not hesitate even a moment to give a “firm and crushing response” to any threat, act of aggression or a greedy move by enemies and ill-wishers of the country. He emphasized that the Islamic Revolution was a new element in the global equation of power.

The top military commander added that Iran's very powerful influence in the region, acknowledged by friends and foes, was rooted in important and key factors such as the "strategic and far-sighted management" of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and "prudence and wisdom" of the Iranian nation.