Senior Foreign Policy Official:

Iran's Missile Might Not Negotiable

TEHRAN (defapress)- Head of Iran’s Strategic Foreign Relations Council Seyed Kamal Kharrazi underlined that the Islamic Republic's missile capabilities are for defensive purposes and cannot be negotiated.

News ID: 66955

Date: 11 November 2017 - 17:30

"We cannot talk about our missile and defense programs with other countries," Kharrazi said on Friday, addressing a meeting in Diplomatic Academy of Vienna.

He reiterated that circulation of phony information about Iran's missile authority would undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the UN Security Council's resolution.

Kharrazi stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran has proposed the idea of the Middle East free of nuclear weapons, and said, "The country deems the nuclear arsenals as a major threat to the regional stability."

The senior official added that Iran entered into negotiations with the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia,  China, France and Britain plus Germany) and finally both sides managed to sign the landmark nuclear agreement which has had a positive effect on safeguarding security and tranquility in the region.

Kharrazi also expressed regret that some European countries are trying to tie the JCPOA to the non-negotiable issue of Iran's missile capability.

In relevant remarks earlier on Friday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif underlined Iran's commitment to the non-proliferation treaty (NPT), reminding that his country has complied with all its pledges under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"We proved our commitment to the principle of non-proliferation treaty and nuclear disarmament in practice after achieving nuclear agreement and fulfilling all our commitments in accordance with the JCPOA," Zarif said, addressing the International Conference on Security and Sustainable Development in Central Asia in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.