Spokesman: Iran’s Defense Policies Non-Negotiable

TEHRAN (defapress)- Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi reiterated that Iran will never allow anyone to meddle in its defense policies, reassuring that Tehran’s missile program is for the sake of deterrence and subject to no negotiation.

News ID: 75243

Date: 28 January 2019 - 15:11

Qassemi said that the Islamic Republic acts independently in adopting its defense policies and will never allow other countries to interfere in that regard.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the IRIB News Agency, which was published on Sunday, the spokesman of Iran's Foreign Ministry said, “As we have said time and again, we determine our own defense policies and will not allow others to interfere with such issues.”

Iran will never hold negotiations with others about its missiles and defensive matters and will follow its own national and indigenous policies, he said.

The Iranian diplomat reiterated that Iran's missile program is a domestic issue of a completely deterrent nature and has been designed to defend the country.

Qassemi was referring to recent remarks by France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian against Iran who said on Friday that his country was ready to impose new sanctions on Tehran if no progress was made in talks over its ballistic missile program.

During his interview, Qassemi said the French officials had to consider the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 and see that Iran's missile issues are in no contradiction to it.

UN Security Council Resolution 2231 enshrines the 2015 international nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which Washington has withdrawn under the pretext, inter alia, that it should have included Iran's missile program as well.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Qassemi also reacted to the French foreign minister's claims about Iran's regional role, saying, "Our policy vis-à-vis regional and neighboring countries is completely clear."

"We are interested in having peaceful and cordial relations with all regional and neighboring countries and want to be able to lead the region toward stability and development," the Iranian official said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in December that Resolution 2231 had not imposed any ban on Iran’s missile program.

In a related front, Qassemi told the Persian-language Sobh-e No newspaper on Sunday that Tehran is holding a firm stance in rejection of any talks with the western states on its defense and missile capabilities.

"Negotiations with Europe are only (focused on) political and economic. We have said loudly that we do not negotiate on missiles," he added.

He went on saying that the Iranian negotiators have clearly explained in their talks with the European states that Iran's missile power is deterrent and defensive.

Qassemi underlined that Iran has held no negotiations with the western side on its defense and military capabilities.

In a relevant development on Friday, Iran had strongly censured France for threatening to impose new sanctions against the Islamic Republic over its missile program, vowing to reconsider its relations with European countries in case such bans are imposed.

Qassemi said on Friday that the French government had been informed that Iran’s missile capability was never to be negotiated, reassuring that any pressure on the issue would make Tehran reconsider relations with the European side.

“Iran’s military capabilities are part of the country’s legitimate defense power and a guarantor of the Islamic Republic’s national security, which is based on the doctrine of deterrence,” Qassemi said.

“The Islamic Republic has designed its defense capabilities based on a realistic assessment of the existing threats,” he said, vowing that the country would strengthen such capabilities to the extent it deems necessary.

“Iran’s missile capability is not negotiable, and this has been brought to the attention of the French side during the ongoing political dialogue between Iran and France,” he said.

Qassemi further noted that Le Drian’s threat to impose new missile sanctions was against the spirit of political talks and cooperation between the two countries.

He also vowed that Iran would reconsider its interaction with European countries in case these states imposed any new sanctions against Tehran.

“Iran has always sought to consolidate peace and stability in the region, and believes the mass sale of sophisticated and assault weapons by the US and some European countries, including France, has undermined regional stability and balance,” he said.

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