TEHRAN, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iran has, to a great extent, increased the precision of its long-range ballistic missiles, Iran's Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan said here on Thursday.

"We have increased the range and precision of our long-range, ground-to-ground ballistic missiles," Dehqan was quoted as saying by Theran Times daily.

"We have achieved greater precision in longer ranges," he said, adding that the Iranian army has also managed to increase shelf life of its missiles up to 20 years.

The Iranian minister denied the reports that Tehran has halted its missile program after a recent missile launch that provoked threatening gestures from the United States.

The Iranian officials have unanimously called the development and test of ballistic missile as "inalienable right" of the country to boost deterrent power.