MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2019) If European countries or any other states try to curb Tehran's missile power and force the country's disarmament through economic and political pressure, Iran will respond with a "strategic leap," Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami said.
On Saturday, Iran unveiled its new cruise missile, dubbed Hoveyzeh. It was designed and manufactured by the Aerospace Industries Organization, and has a range of over 1,350 kilometers (about 840 miles).
"If Europe or anyone else tries to pursue the plot aimed at Iran's disarmament, we will be forced to make a strategic leap ... They are trying to disarm us exerting political and economic pressure," Salami was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency on Sunday.
The brigadier general noted that Iran was developing its missile technology for strategic reasons and there were no technological barriers that could prevent Tehran from developing missiles that would have an even longer range than the existing ones.
In January, a number of countries, including Germany and France � the signatories to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal � condemned Iran's satellite launches, accusing Iran of using ballistic missile technology and violating the United Nations Security Council's resolution 2231 on the agreement.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry, in turn, said that the space launches did not violate the resolution.
