Iran has increased its missile production three-fold, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander said Wednesday, according to Iran's Fars news service.
Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace division, did not explain over what time period the production increase had occurred.
"In the past, we had to do a lot of explaining to various bodies for our actions, but it's not like that anymore," Hajizadeh said. "Our production [of missiles] has increased three-fold compared to the past."
He said the Iranian government and parliament, together with other Iranian officials, had agreed on the need for ground-to-ground missiles.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian visited Iran on Monday on a delicate mission to reaffirm Europe's support for the 2015 nuclear deal that opened Iran's economy, while echoing U.S. concerns about Iran's missile program and role in regional conflicts.
His visit reflected French efforts to safeguard the 2015 accord Iran signed with six major powers.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to pull out of the deal unless the European signatories help "fix" it by forcing Iran to limit its actions in the Middle East and rein in its missile program.
Senior Iranian officials told Le Drian on Monday that Iran's ballistic missile program is not up for negotiation.
