Iran is fully determined to still develop its missile capability and military power 1912111.

Defense News - Iran

A senior Iranian Armed Forces commander praised the country's high missile capability, and said Tehran is fully determined to still develop this capability in a bid to boost its defensive power.

He further pointed to the deadly blast in November at an Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) base in which Iran's missile engineer, Major General Hassan Tehrani Moqaddam, was martyred, and added that Iran's missile projects have remain unaffected.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran's movement in area of ground-to-ground missiles, which had originally been initiated and organized in the Ministry of Defense, continues firmly and powerfully and has not been impaired or disrupted (due to the November blast)," Izadi reiterated.

Last month, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi also rejected western media reports alleging that the deadly blast impaired IRGC's missile program.

"The forces and military weapons of the Islamic republic, including ballistic missiles, are more than ready to confront the enemy," he said at the time.

The blast in IRGC base killed 17 people including General Hassan Tehrani Moqaddam, who was described as one of the key figures in Iran's missile program. The IRGC has vowed to continue "Moqaddam's path".