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Nazrin Abdul

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has rejected claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that Tehran is developing missiles capable of reaching the United States mainland, insisting that Iran’s missile program is purely defensive.

As reported by AzerNEWS, speaking in response to remarks made during Trump’s State of the Union address, Araghchi said the U.S. president had “become a victim of fake news.”

He stressed that Iran is not developing intercontinental-range missiles and that the country has “deliberately limited” the range of its domestically produced missile systems to 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles).

“Our missiles are defensive in nature,” Araghchi said. “They are built purely for deterrence and to help us defend ourselves.”

The foreign minister also referenced last June’s confrontation involving what he described as a U.S.-backed Israeli attack on Iran, saying Tehran’s actions at the time were carried out in self-defense.

“We only defended ourselves,” he said. “From their perspective, it may be considered an illegal act, but from our point of view, it was a legitimate act within the framework of self-defense.”

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have remained high amid ongoing disputes over Iran’s missile capabilities and regional security issues.