Iran’s deputy defense minister has said his country has accurate missiles it has not unveiled to be able to surprise its “enemies”.

Qassem Taqizadeh who was speaking prior to Friday Prayer sermon in Mashhad said, “A lot of accomplishments cannot be revealed through the media, so we hide them” to surprise the enemy when the day comes.

Taqizadeh referred to missiles that according to him have great accuracy, although their range is limited.

Iran’s missile program is a sensitive issue for Western countries who have often voiced concern. The United States pulled out of the 2015 nuclear agreement citing Iran’s missile program as one major reason. Iran adamantly rejects any compromise over its missile program, insisting that it is a defensive weapon.

Iran’s deputy defense minister on Friday reiterated Iran’s position, insisting that his country’s missile program is limited to threats it faces, which “for now have a radius of 1,800 kilometers”.

He added, “Americans know very well” Iranian forces do not need to reach New York to confront them; instead “today there are tens of thousands of Americans in the region” and for that reason Iran’s Supreme Leader has calculated that Washington will not start a war with Iran.

Iran downed a U.S. drone on June 20 over the Persian Gulf, which led to fears of a retaliation, but soon President Donald Trump cancelled plans for a U.S. retaliatory strike.

Amid heightened tensions with the U.S., Iran has been often making announcements about new weapons systems. In the past some of Iran's claims have seemed to have been premature.