US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said it would be 'unfair' for Iran to be denied ballistic missiles while other regional countries possess them.
The remark appeared to mark a shift in Washington's posture as the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) ending their four-month war.
"I am saying that if other countries have them, it's a little bit unfair for them (Iran) not to have some," Trump told reporters in Paris, speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France.
"A ballistic missile is not the same thing as what we're talking about when we talk nuclear. But if Saudi Arabia and Qatar and they all have some, I would say in relative proportion, I think it's okay." he added.
The comment comes against the backdrop of a war that began on February 28, when the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iranian military, government and infrastructure sites.
ALSO READ: Trump Officially Signs US-Iran Peace Deal MoU To End War, Reopen Hormuz
Destruction of Iran's missile program had been a key Israeli war aim, standing on equal footing with its other objectives. Moreover, the US had consistently maintained that Iran was using its missile program as a shield, intended to make it harder for other nations to prevent Tehran from eventually building a nuclear weapon.
Under the MOU signed this week, which Trump personally signed during a dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles, the US and Iran committed to a 60-day negotiating window, extendable by mutual consent, to hammer out a more substantive final deal.
Trump also said on Wednesday that the US would keep its military presence in the Gulf "for a while" even as the broader conflict winds down, Reuters reported.
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