Iran not worried about missile defense shield - IRGC commander

Azerbaijan, Baku, April 10 /Trend S.Isayev, T. Jafarov/ Iran is not worried about the missile defense shield, IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) air force commander Eli Hajizadeh said, Fars reported. The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday at the Persian Gulf-U.S. security forum in Riyadh announced the idea of a missile defense shield in the six Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. "The establishment of such shield is for Israel's security," Hajizadeh added. Several days ago, Iran's Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said that Islamic Republic strongly opposes a U.S.-backed plan to build a missile defense shield within the Gulf States. "This system is a plan of the U.S. and Israel, and anyone who supports the plan, is implementing the U.S. and Israel's plot," Vahidi noted. The minister added that the U.S.-backed missile defense project is "against regional security". IRGC commander on his part said that Iran "has already thought of this shield, and is not worried about it". Washington is seeking to expand its missile defense shield within the Gulf States. U.S. Patriot missiles are already deployed in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The West accuses Iran of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program but Tehran insists it needs nuclear power solely to generate electricity. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az