Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan has rejected US media claims of a new missile test by the Islamic Republic as fabricated, saying the allegations are part of a psychological war against Tehran.
“The new claim by the Americans about a new missile test by Iran is fabricated and is aimed at inciting animosity, psychological war and Iranophobia,” Dehqan told reporters Thursday in Tehran.
On Wednesday, Fox News cited an unnamed US official as saying that Iran had launched a short-range Mersad missile from the same launch pad where it conducted a ballistic missile test last month in Semnan.
“First of all, these claims are fabricated and such an incident has not happened at all. Secondly, it would be absolutely none of their business if such a test had ever been conducted,” Dehqan said.
“Thirdly, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s missile program is a conventional program and its missile tests are conducted as part of a pre-planned programs aimed at maintaining our country’s defense preparedness,” he added.
The minister said fabricated news as such is disseminated by “the Zionist regime” in line with Israel’s “Iranophobia” project in order to instigate world opinion against Iran.
“We advise our southern Persian Gulf neighbors not to be deceived by such propaganda because the Islamic Republic of Iran has never been and will never be a threat to them,” Dehqan said.
“The Americans have waged this psychological war and publicity campaign in an attempt to sell their weapons,” he added.
Source: Iranian media
