Iran's missile plan not negotiable, says Foreign Minister

Iranian Foreign Minister Moham­mad Javad Zarif has said that his country's missile programme was not up for negotiation with the United States.

"Defence capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran are not negotiable," the Dawn quoted Moham­mad Javad Zarif as saying after a meeting with his Estonian counterpart Marina Kaljurand yesterday.

The Foreign Minister asserted that if Washington was serious about defence issues in the Middle East then it should stop supplying arms to Saudi Arabia and Israel.

US Secretary of State John Kerry had recently said that Washington and its partners were prepared to find new peaceful solutions to the issues Tehran has, but it should first clarify of being prepared to cease provocative ballistic missile launches and tests.

Zarif also hinted that regional US allies were among those quietly supporting the militant Islamic State group.

"The US needs to view regional issues more seriously than raise baseless and threadbare allegations against Iran. Mr Kerry should ask US allies where the Islamic State's arms come from," he said.