Iran’s Foreign Ministry declared Monday that the Islamic Republic’s missile program is “non-negotiable,” reaffirming Tehran’s stance amid reports that Israel is seeking US backing for possible new military action, Xinhua reported.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei made the comments during a weekly press conference, responding to questions about recent media reports suggesting that Israel is planning to pressure Iran into negotiating its missile capabilities.
“Iran's missile program has been developed to solely defend the country's sovereignty and is basically not a subject of negotiation. Iran's defense capabilities have been designed to prevent aggressors from harboring the idea of attacking the country and are in no way something that can be negotiated or bargained about,” stated Baghaei, according to Xinhua.
He accused Western powers and Israel of “clear hypocrisy” over Iran’s missile program, claiming that while they portray Iranian capabilities as a “threat,” they continue supplying large quantities of weapons to Israel.
His comments follow a report in NBC News, which stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to discuss Iran’s ballistic missile buildup and the possibility of another Israeli strike against Iran in 2026 during his meeting next week with US President Donald Trump.
According to Israeli intelligence, Iran appears to be rebuilding its missile forces with greater determination than at any time since the 12-day war in June. Israeli officials said that after the war, Iran’s missile stockpiles dropped from 3,000 to around 1,500, while its number of launchers fell from 400 to 200.
On Saturday, Iran International reported that Western intelligence sources had identified “unusual aerial activity” by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force.
On Sunday, Axios reported that Israeli officials have warned the Trump administration that an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) missile exercise could be preparations for an attack on Israel.