Iran’s Armed Forces Reject Missile Talks with West, Stress More Defense Progress

Deputy Chief of Staff and Spokesman of Iran’s Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazzayeri dismissed the possibility for holding talks with the western states about the country’s missile program, emphasizing further development of the defense industry.

“(The West’s demand for) Negotiations about defense and missile affairs and the resistance in the region with the regimes which have repeatedly proved their autocracy and colonialism is nothing but delirium,” General Jazzayeri said on Wednesday.

He added that further strengthening of Iran’s defense power is on the agenda of the Armed Forces, noting that while the enemies blatantly threaten the country with military action, its deterrence defense programs will further develop.

In relevant remarks on Tuesday, Iranian Government Spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht rapped French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian for his recent remarks on the necessity of talks with Tehran on its missile program, stressing that the country never allows foreigners to meddle with its military capability.

“No one is allowed to meddle with our defense and missile issues. We consider defense and missile power as our inalienable right and we have not and will not hold talks with anyone on our defense issues,” Nobakht told reporters in his weekly press conference in Tehran.

He referred to Le Drian’s claims of talks with Iran on the latter’s missile program, and said expression of views is completely different from negotiations that could bring up a deal like the 2015 nuclear agreement.

His comments came after Le Drian said that he will visit Iran on March 5 to discuss Tehran’s ballistic-missile program and the 2015 nuclear deal it signed with world powers.

“We have embarked upon a dialogue with Iran on the issue of ballistics and regional questions,” Le Drian told the Le Figaro daily in an interview to be published on January 22.

Also, on Monday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyed Abbas Araqchi rejected media reports claiming that Tehran has held talks with the European states on its missile program, warning the green continent against making concessions to the US to win its companionship with the 2015 nuclear deal.

“This report is not true,” Araqchi said in an interview with the state radio when asked about media reports claiming that Iran has held talks with major European states on its missile program.

He also cautioned Europe about insistence on talks with Iran on missile and regional issues after inking the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, and said, “We don’t have any specific conclusion reached in Europe yet. Some of them have this idea and think that if they make concessions to (US President Donald) Trump on issues other than the nuclear deal, they can make him remain committed to the nuclear deal.”

“This is a fully wrong policy and will certainly have a reverse outcome and we have clearly said this to Europe too,” Araqchi said.