Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday warned the United States new administration against creating new tensions with Tehran over ballistic missile tests.

“We hope that Iran’s defense program is not used by the new US administration… as a pretext to create new tensions,” Zarif said in a televised press conference with visiting French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault.

The UN Security Council is due to hold emergency talks called by Washington on Tuesday on Iran’s reported test-firing of a medium-range missile.

Zarif said Washington — under former president Barack Obama — and Paris had “repeatedly confirmed” that Iran’s missiles are not part of a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.

Iran says its missiles do not breach United Nations resolutions because they are for defense purposes and not designed to carry nuclear warheads.

“We have always declared that we will never use our weapons against others except in our defense,” Zarif said.

Source: AFP