Speaking at a meeting with members of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Larijani denounced the demand as an affront to national dignity, stressing that no patriotic Iranian could ever accept such a restriction.
He explained that in the course of diplomatic efforts, two separate proposals had been put forward — one by European countries and another by Russia.
Iran, he said, accepted both initiatives with certain reservations, and a six-month timeframe was set for negotiations. Nevertheless, the other parties failed to honor their commitments and instead pursued the reactivation of the so-called “snapback” mechanism at the UN Security Council.
Highlighting two key points, Larijani stated:
1. “In the initial American plan, they set a condition that no man of honor could accept — to cut the missile range to less than 500 kilometers. Is such a thing imaginable for any Iranian? The problem lies precisely here: they put forward demands that are fundamentally unacceptable.”
2. “Under the JCPOA, a mechanism was provided whereby if one side violated its commitments, the other side would have the right to respond. Who was the first to break commitments? First the U.S. withdrew, then the Europeans failed to abide, and ultimately they even resorted to bombing. So who should rightly lodge the complaint?”