NATO Secretary General: We Will Expand Our Defensive Capabilities Against Iranian Ballistic Missiles

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed concern over the development of Iran's ballistic missiles, stating that the organization plans to enhance its missile defense capabilities in response. In an interview with the Russian news agency Interfax on Tuesday, July 9, he said, "Iran's ballistic missiles remain a concern for the NATO alliance, and Iran continues to develop and test ballistic missiles with increasing capabilities that can reach NATO's European allies' territory." Ahead of the NATO summit scheduled for July 10 in Brussels, he emphasized that "NATO will continue to develop its missile defense capabilities to protect its allies against the increasing threat posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles." Regarding a question about the "resurgence of the Iranian threat" after the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and the potential failure of the nuclear agreement, he noted that the agreement pertains to the nuclear program, not missile development. "Although the U.S. has withdrawn from the JCPOA, all involved countries agree that Iran should not build a nuclear bomb." He stated that NATO will continue long-term investments to ensure defensive power in response to long-term threats. Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, announced on June 19 that "we have the scientific capability to increase the range of missiles; however, the current policy of the Islamic Republic is not to increase missile range, as many strategic targets of enemies are within this 2,000-kilometer range." With this range, Iran can target some Eastern European countries. He also recently made remarks about Iran's ability to close the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passage for global oil exports. During the peak of tensions between Iran and the West over the nuclear program during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, the issue of establishing a NATO missile defense shield in Eastern European countries was raised, which faced strong reactions from Russia. Russia claims that the deployment of missile defense systems in the region is an action against it. Nevertheless, in May 2016, NATO inaugurated its missile defense system in Deveselu, southern Romania. NATO intends to strengthen its missile defense umbrella in Turkey and Eastern Europe, especially Poland. Mr. Stoltenberg, in response to another question about the threat of NATO's defensive systems in Romania or plans to deploy them in Poland against Russia, stated that "these systems are not against Russia and only have a defensive aspect."