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Iran "unmoved" by U.S. threats: FM

Xinhua, February 4, 2017 Adjust font size:

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Friday that the U.S. threat will have no impact on Iranians' resolve to defend themselves.

"Iran is unmoved by threats as we derive security from our people," Zarif tweeted in a reaction to the U.S. President Donald Trump's comment on Thursday that the U.S. will keep every option on the table vis-à-vis the Islamic republic's "provocative" moves.

"We'll never initiate war, but we can only rely on means of defense," Zarif said, adding that "we will never use our weapons against anyone, except in self-defense. Let us see if any of those who complain can make the same statement."

The U.S. on Wednesday officially put Iran "on notice" over Tehran's recent missile launch and an attack on a Saudi Arabian vessel by Iran-supported Houthi group in Yemen.

Besides, western media reported on Thursday that the U.S. government is preparing to levy new sanctions on a number of Iranian entities, individuals and companies, as a punitive measure for the test of a mid-range ballistic missile last week.

Michael Flynn, national security advisor to Trump, said Wednesday that Iran's recent ballistic missile launch is in defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

Iran's Foreign Ministry has dismissed U.S. allegations about the missile test, saying that none of the Iranian missiles has been designed for delivering nuclear weapons. Endit