TEHRAN, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will continue missile tests and will do relevant researches more actively than before in defiance of the U.S. pressure and sanctions, a senior IRGC commander was quoted as saying by Press TV on Friday.

Conducting researches on military equipment and missiles is a permanent job of the IRGC, said Ali Fadavi, the IRGC deputy commander for coordination.

He pointed to the U.S. pressure and sanctions on the Islamic republic, and said the sanctions are always opportunities for Iran, as they create conditions for the country to rely on its own capabilities.

"The harsher the sanctions get, the more defensive capabilities Iran will achieve," he added.

Fadavi's remarks came a few weeks after the latest ballistic missile test by the Iranian armed forces, which was criticized by the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.