Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi has said that U.S. defense secretary's remarks against Iran are an attempt to justify his wrong policies and actions during his tenure, Mehr News reported.
Vahidi made the remarks in response to Robert Gates who has accused Iran of arming Iraqi groups to attack U.S. troops and having the intention to develop nuclear weapons.
According to Bloomberg, Gates has claimed that Iran is "furnishing new, more deadly weapons to Shiite Muslim militias targeting U.S. troops in Iraq as part of a pattern of renewed attempts to exert influence in the region."
On Iran's nuclear program, Gates has said he still believes Iranian leaders are intent on building a nuclear weapon and are "getting closer."
"The U.S. defense secretary's repeated lies and hilarious claims are meant to justify his wrong policies and actions during his term in office as the defense secretary," Vahidi said.
He add that no U.S. official is allowed to speak on behalf of the International Atomic Energy Agency which has repeatedly confirmed that there has been no diversion in Iran's nuclear program.