Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Photo: Wikipedia.

Iran’s foreign minister said that Tehran would respond to American moves to curtail its missile program by bolstering it, semi-official news agency Mehr reported on Tuesday.

Mohammad Javad Zarif said that instead of limiting them, “Iran’s missile capabilities will be further enforced,” in accordance with President Hassan Rouhani’s orders.

Zarif also discounted promises by US presidential candidates to nullify the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, saying they were “following the orders of Zionists, but these are just words and should not be heeded.”

Zarif made these comments during a two-day visit with Rouhani to Pakistan.

Iran carried out a massive ballistic missile test earlier this month, dubbed “Might of the Guardianship.” The US responded with concern, suggesting the tests constituted a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which enforces the nuclear deal reached last summer. Tehran insists, however, that this is false, claiming that the missiles it has been testing are intended for conventional use only.