President Hassan Rouhani vowed on Saturday to boost Iran's ballistic missile capabilities despite Western concerns that were cited by his US counterpart Donald Trump in May when he abandoned a landmark nuclear deal with Tehran.

 

"We will never decrease our defensive capabilities... we will increase them day by day," Rouhani said at a military parade. "The fact that the missiles anger you shows they are our most effective weapons," he said, referring to the West.

 

Iran has ballistic missiles with a range of up to 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles), enough to reach both Israel and US bases in the Middle East.