Iran vows to continue building up defense capabilities despite US concerns

Iran will continue missile tests to build up its defence and deterrence capabilities, a top military spokesman was quoted as saying on Sunday, following a U.S. allegation that Tehran had carried out a new missile test.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday condemned what he described as Iran's testing of a medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads as a violation of the international agreement on Tehran's nuclear programme.

"Missile tests ... are carried out for defence and the country's deterrence and we will continue this," General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior spokesman for Iran's armed forces, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency. He did not confirm or deny that Iran had carried out a new test.