Iran's missile program "not included" in nuclear talks: negotiator

Missile program of the Islamic republic is not included in the nuclear talks between Iran and the world powers, Iran's senior nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi said here on Tuesday.

"Within the framework of nuclear talks between our country and the P5+1 group (Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States plus Germany), in the past and present, Iran's missile capability has never been allowed to be a topic of discussions," Araqchi was quoted as saying by official IRNA news agency.

Iran will not allow the topic to be included in the nuclear talks in the future either, the top Iranian negotiator said reacting to the remarks of the U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Monday.

"As we've said before, Iran's missile program continues to pose a dangerous threat to the region and is an issue we monitor closely," Psaki said.

"And, our long-standing concerns regarding Iran's missile development efforts are shared by the international community, which has passed a series of UN Security Council resolutions focused on Iran's proliferation-sensitive activities," she said.

Iran's ballistic missile with potential nuclear warheads capabilities have been and will be part of ongoing negotiations between Iran and six world powers, she added.

The U.S. spokeswoman's remarks followed the news on Monday that Iran launched its fourth satellite into orbit.

Iran has said that its missile program is for deterrent purposes and poses no threats on the other states. Endite