Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi attends a press conference in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 20, 2018. Iran's missile program is a non-negotiable issue and it is not linked with the country's nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said here on Monday. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)

TEHRAN, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Iran's missile program is a non-negotiable issue and it is not linked with the country's nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said here on Monday.

The Iranian 2015 international nuclear deal and the country's missile program are two separate issues, Bahram Qasemi said with a reference to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's recent remarks.

Merkel earlier said that Berlin was willing to preserve the deal in the wake of U.S. withdrawal, while expressing concern over Tehran's missile program.

"She (Merkel) can express her view ... but she must know that the missile program and the nuclear deal are two separate issues," Qasemi said in his weekly press conference.

"We have declared our stance on the missile program, which is non-negotiable," he said.