AKIPRESS.COM - Tehran will not discuss its ballistic missiles as part of ongoing talks with world powers on a final agreement to curb the Iranian nuclear program, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said Wednesday.

The remarks by Hossein Dehghan came as a rebuff of recent comments by U.S. State Department's nuclear negotiator, Wendy Sherman, who said Iran's ballistic capabilities should be addressed as part of a comprehensive agreement with Iran.

Iran's ballistic program has also been a concern for the West since ballistic missile can be used to deliver nuclear warheads. Iran insists the missile program has no nuclear dimensions but is also adamant that its defense industry is a "red line" as a topic at the nuclear talks.

The U.S. has argued that a UN Security Council resolution bans Iran from "undertaking any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons."

But Dehghan said Iran's missile program has "nothing to do" with the nuclear negotiations and that it has no nuclear dimensions, the AP reported.