TEHRAN, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry censured French foreign minister's recent threats to impose sanctions on Iran over Tehran's ballistic missile program.
Iran's missiles are for deterrence purposes and non-negotiable, said Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi, according to a report by Foreign Ministry on Saturday.
"Iran's military capabilities are part of the country's legitimate defense power and a guarantor of Iran's national security, which is based on the doctrine of deterrence," Qasemi said.
"Iran has designed its defense capabilities based on a realistic assessment of the existing threats," he said, adding that his country would strengthen such capabilities to the extent it deems necessary.
He stressed that Iran's missile capability is not negotiable, and the issue has been brought to the attention of the French side during the ongoing political dialogue between Iran and France.
On Friday, the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said that Paris is ready to impose sanctions on Tehran if no progress is made in talks over its ballistic missile program.
