Judiciary Chief:

Europe Has No Right to Meddle in Iran’s Defense Affairs

TEHRAN (defapress) – Iranian Judiciary Chief warned European countries not to follow the US in trying to meddle in issues related to Iran’s defense activities, saying also that Iran’s missile program is for defense and non-negotiable.

News ID: 66641

Date: 23 October 2017 - 20:35

"Europe has no right to meddle in our defense affairs,” Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani said Monday at a meeting of senior Judiciary officials in Tehran. "The Europeans should realize that if they want to (follow the US) and interfere in our defense affairs, we will stand against them as we did against the US.”

He also described attempts at tying the Islamic Republic’s defense issue to the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as "wrong” and said Iran will not take it.

The Islamic Republic’s missile capability is for defense and definitely not a subject for negotiation, Ayatollah Amoli Larijani underscored.

While EU countries have reiterated support for the JCPOA following US President Donald Trump’s move to decertify the deal, some European officials have made comments against Iran’s defense programs in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Berlin remains concerned about Iran’s behavior in the Middle East and its missile development program, but stressed that Tehran was sticking to the nuclear agreement

In September, France said it was extremely concerned by Iran’s ballistic missile test and called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to carry out a full report on the launch.

"(France) will consider with its partners, notably European, the means to obtain from Iran the cessation of its destabilizing ballistic activities.” Foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne said in a statement.

Iran has repeatedly underscored that its missile program is meant for defense.

Tehran also maintains that the program is not in violation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2231.

Resolution 2231 was adopted by the UNSC in July 2015 to endorse the JCPOA.

The UNSC document terminated the provisions of seven previous UNSC resolutions against Iran, some of which had imposed restrictions on Iranian missile activities.

Such activities are not prohibited under the newer document, which merely calls on Iran to refrain from any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

Iran says it has no such warheads and no such missiles.