Iran calls U.S. criticism of its missile program "Nonsense"

Wednesday 17 September 2025 - 13:40

By: Sahili Aya

Iran calls U.S. criticism of its missile program "Nonsense"

Iran has dismissed recent U.S. criticisms regarding its missile program as "nonsense," following remarks made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who described the program as an "unacceptable risk."

"Its statements are nonsense," said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei in a press briefing on Wednesday. He added that the United States had no right to comment on the defense capabilities of a nation determined to preserve its independence at all costs. Baghaei defended Iran's missile program, calling it a necessary tool "to resist the greed, aggression, and assaults of foreign powers, including the United States and the Zionist regime."

Rubio, who visited Israel on Monday, had vowed to continue the "maximum pressure" campaign, which includes sanctions against Tehran, a policy initiated by former President Donald Trump during his first term. Under this strategy, the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, an agreement aimed at limiting Iran’s nuclear program.

"Iran, led by a radical Shiite cleric, not only potentially possesses nuclear weapons but also has missiles capable of carrying them over long distances, which represents an unacceptable risk—not just to Israel, not just to the U.S., but to the entire world," Rubio said during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He added that Washington would continue "maximum economic pressure on Iran until they change course."

In mid-June, Israel launched a 12-day military campaign targeting Iranian nuclear and conventional military sites. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes on Israel. On June 22, under Trump's orders, U.S. forces bombed Iran's underground uranium enrichment facility in Fordo, south of Tehran, along with nuclear installations in Isfahan and Natanz, marking the end of indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran, which had begun in April.

In early September, Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, stated that while the country remained open to nuclear negotiations with the U.S., it would not discuss its ballistic missile program.