Iran urges Europeans not to mix JCPOA with missile issue

TEHRAN (defapress) – Speaker of Iranian Parliament Ali Larijani urged Europeans not to mix JCPOA with the country’s missile program, adding the should stick to their commitments under the nuclear deal and pressurise the US into fulfilling its obligations.

News ID: 69254

Date: 18 March 2018 - 10:43

Speaking in a meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi on Saturday, Larijani called the role of Oman and Sultan Qaboos in the region as being fruitful, adding "there has always been a friendly and sincere relationship between Iran and Oman."

“Iran has always remained committed to the nuclear deal and will observe its commitments under the deal but only as long as the other sides continue to do so,” he noted

Iran’s Parliament speaker described the regional situation as chaotic and said all regional states should avoid any measure that might exacerbate the current unrest in the region.

“Today, Iran’s missile program has turned into a concern for some states. But the main question is why they are concerned about our program? We have had the missile technology since 30 years ago and during this time we have never fired even a single missile at any country in the region. The technology is not a new achievement for us,” he noted.

Larijani underlined that Iran’s presence in countries like Iraq and Syria is at the request of their governments. “We have always sought to find political solutions to the crises in these countries.”

For his part, Oman’s foreign minister said there are appropriate grounds for expansion of economic relations between Iran and Oman.

He said like their political relations, Iran and Oman should raise the level of their economic ties.

“Some countries are worried about Iran’s defence capability and missile programs but there is no reason for this concern. Given the current situation of the region, Iran is entitled to improve its military power as part of a mechanism to defend its own security,” Bin Alawi said.

He also referred to the presence of Iran in Syria and said “as we have announced repeatedly, no country can have presence in a foreign country without the request of its government.”

Bin Alawi underlined that Iran’s presence in Syria is made at the request of Damascus. He also called for finding political solutions to the current regional crises and added militarism and massacre of innocent people will never lead to peace and security in the world.

Oman’s foreign minister also expressed hope that some regional countries which have adopted aggressive policies toward regional issues change their mind and resort to peaceful means.

He called on regional states to establish cooperation in fight against terrorism. Bin Alawi then called for further economic ties with Iran and said Oman is interested in raising the level of its financial relations with Iran through expansion of joint rail lines.