Missiles pose no threat, Iran says

TEHRAN, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- An Iranian minister said Tehran's missiles “bear no threat to any states” in response to claims that Iran will be capable of targeting U.S. cities by 2015.

Iran’s defense minister Mostafa Mohammad Najar told the ministry’s diplomatic committee Saturday that “Iran’s missiles bear no threat to any states, but are designed exclusively for aggressors who violate the border of Iran,” the Islamic Republic News Agency quoted.

U.S. President George W. Bush said recently that Iranian missile systems will be capable of reaching targets in the United States and Europe by 2015.

Najar said that the U.S. claims were “an exaggeration” and suggested the remarks were intended to bolster support for the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, RIA Novosti reported.

Washington imposed unilateral sanctions on Thursday against three major Iranian banks as well as parts of the Iranian military.