Iran not to give up missile program: official

An Iranian Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday that the Islamic republic's missile program serves the country's national interests and it will not be abandoned, Press TV reported.

Iran's missile program is developed for defensive purposes and "we cannot set the country's national interests based on others' viewpoints," Iran's nuclear negotiator Hamid Ba'eedinejad said in response to recent opposition by some western countries to Iran's missile program

"The foreign opponents of Iran's missile program should not expect Iran to quit its defensive and security interests. Iran's missile program is no threat against regional and other countries," Ba'eedinejad was quoted as saying.

Also, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi on Monday dismissed concerns raised recently by NATO members over Iran's missile tests. Endit