Tehran: Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has denied US President Donald Trump's claims that Iran is developing missiles capable of reaching the United States, stressing that the Islamic Republic's missile program is solely for self-defense.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Araghchi made the remarks in an exclusive interview with India Today in Tehran, hours before departing for Geneva, Switzerland, where he is due to meet American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for a third round of talks over Iran's nuclear program. On Tuesday, President Trump claimed during his State of the Union address in Washington, D.C., that Iran 'is working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.'

Responding to the India Today question about where Trump's claim originated, the Iranian foreign minister said that the US president has often complained about fake news and now 'he is the victim of fake news.' He emphasized that Iran is not developing missiles with ranges longer than 2,000 kilometers. 'We are not developing long-range missiles, and we have limited the range of our missiles below 2,000 kilometers intentionally by ourselves because we don't want anyone. We don't want it to be a global threat. This is only to defend ourselves. Our missiles have a defense nature. They are only to build deterrence and to help us defend ourselves,' said Araghchi.

He added that an example of Iran using its missiles for self-defense was during the 12-day war of aggression that Israel and the US conducted against the country in June last year. 'We did not initiate that war. It was Israelis and then Americans. We only defended ourselves. For them, that was an illegal act of aggression. For us, it was a legitimate act of self-defense.'

The Iranian foreign minister also commented on the ongoing talks between Iran and the US, as well as Washington's military build-up near Iran and its threats of military action should the talks fail. He said Iran is ready for both war and peace and emphasized that a fair deal is within reach, citing progress in the two rounds of discussions held with American envoys in Muscat and Geneva earlier in February.

'I think a fair, balanced, and equitable deal is achievable, and we can do it. Of course, our armed forces are prepared to do their job and we know how to defend ourselves,' he noted. That does not mean Iran wants war; rather, the country wants to prevent the war, he added.

Araghchi also said 'there is no military option for Iran's peaceful nuclear program,' stressing that the country is ready to remove any concerns over the program without relinquishing its right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. 'We are ready to answer questions. We are ready to remove concerns, but we are not ready to give up our right for peaceful use of nuclear technology.'

Elsewhere in the interview, Araghchi said that Israel is trying to drag the US into war with Iran and warned that any such conflict would engulf the entire region, as American bases, which he described as legitimate targets, are scattered 'in different places in the region.' 'There would be no victory for anybody. It would be a devastating war.it is a very terrible scenario I don't even want to talk about that,' he said.