Iran's Missile Power Deterring US Military Attacks

"The missile power prevents practice of military options which have been and are on the enemies' table," Sharif said in a press conference in Tehran on Sunday.

Elsewhere, he stressed the strength and solidity of Iran's Fordo nuclear enrichment site in the Central parts of the country which has been built by the IRGC, and said, "This complex is so much strong that has dissuaded the enemy from any military act."

In relevant remarks in May, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted by his deputy Seyed Abbas Araqchi as having told the western powers that they intend to stop the operation of Iran's Fordo enrichment facility through talks because their plans for destroying the site would end in fiasco.

Addressing a meeting with the IRGC political directors, Araqchi said since Fordo is 70 meters under the mountain rocks, the western states have failed to destroy it through a successful military raid.

^{_{Head of the IRGC Public Relations Department General Ramezan Sharif}}

He then quoted Zarif as telling the European members of the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) that "you intend to close Fordo (through talks) because you cannot hit it to then move to hit Natanz (enrichment facilities) which is 20 meters under the ground".

Zarif stood firm against the Europeans and told them if Iran closes Fordo, then they would move to the next stage of their plan to hit Natanz which is easier for a military strike as it is closer to the surface, "and I have not come here to place my country on the verge of (going under) a military attack".

Stressing that Iran doesn’t accept bullying words in the talks with the world powers, he said, "Iran has and will not suspend enrichment; actually the secret to the Islamic Republic of Iran's power is in its saying "no" to the six world powers."

"In the Geneva agreement, Iran resisted in a way that Fordo will continue its work and the West couldn’t oppose it and the westerners have accepted in the Geneva agreement that enrichment will continue, Arak (heavy water) reactor will work with a combined formula and Fordo facilities will remain in place," Araqchi stressed.

Araqchi was referring to the May 14 to 16 talks between Iran and the six world powers in Vienna aimed at drafting a final, comprehensive deal with the world powers.

Tehran and the six powers have had seven rounds of talks in Vienna, and one more in New York and on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. They are now preparing for their 9th round of negotiations due to be held in Masqat, Oman, on November 11.

The Geneva agreement took effect on January 20 and expired six months later on July 20. In July, Tehran and the six countries agreed to extend negotiations until November 24 after they failed to reach an agreement on a number of key issues.

Source: Fars