MOSCOW. Feb 11 (Interfax) - The European Union's statements that Iran must reduce or scrap its missile program are dictated by the desire to please the United States, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.
"I think the demand of European countries and the European External Action Service that Iran reduce, if not wrap up, its missile program is [...] dictated by the desire to please the Americans," Ryabkov told journalists on Monday.
"The Europeans cannot fail to understand that Iran's missile program is not a threat," he said.
"It involves a set of measures to strengthen national security, and, by developing its missile program, Iran is exercising its sovereign right to self-defense," Ryabkov said.