He made the remarks in an interview with Spiegel on the sideline of the Munich Security Conference.
In response to claims that describe Iran missile program as ‘threatening’, Zarif said that the Middle East is being flooded by weapons to a point that in 2018, Persian Gulf states have bought arms worth $100 billion from different countries, including Europeans.
He highlighted that Iran’s defense budget is a fraction of this amount while noting that the country’s weapons are purely used for defense.
If Europe doesn’t want Iran to build missiles, then it should sell Tehran fighter jets as the country cannot stay defenseless in the region, he highlighted.
Elsewhere, Zarif described accusation of US Vice President Mike Pence against Iran as ‘ridiculous’, adding that Iran has always supported the Jews and the problem is Zionism. The Holocaust was a disaster and nobody is allowed to use it as a tool.
After visiting the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland on Friday, Mike Pence accused Iran of Nazi-like anti-Semitism, saying that Tehran is preparing a new Holocaust.
MAH/PR
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