Judiciary Chief Rules Out Talks on Iran’s Defensive Power

Iranian Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani says the Islamic Republic’s missile capabilities serve defensive purposes and are not at all open to negotiation.

In reaction to recent remarks by European officials about the possibility of fresh negotiations with Iran over its regional presence and missile program, Ayatollah Amoli Larijani said the Europeans are not allowed to interfere in Iran’s defensive affairs.

Europeans should know that if want to repeat the US allegations about Iran, the Islamic Republic will stand against them as it stood against the US, he went on to say, according to a Farsi report by Mizan.

“It is totally wrong to link the JCPOA [nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers] to the Islamic Republic’s defensive affairs, and Iran will not accept it,” he added, addressing a group of judiciary officials in Tehran on Monday.

“Why should we deprive ourselves from our most basic right, which is the right to defend oneself, just because the US and its allies want us to be weak,” Ayatollah Amoli Larijani asked.

“Iran’s missile power serves defensive purposes and we will in no way hold any negotiation and accept a second or third JCPOA on our defensive power,” he underlined.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Amoli Larijani blasted Washington for accusing Tehran of sponsoring terrorism, saying the US is itself the mother of terrorist groups in the region, especially the ISIS.

“The US has created the ISIS and (surprisingly) it accuses Iran of supporting terrorism,” he said.

Referring to the US attempts to increase the number of its military bases in the region, he said, “You entered Iraq on the pretext of establishing security but you destroyed all infrastructures and left the ISIS on the ground.”

He also dismissed the US claims about Iran’s regional presence, saying the Islamic Republic’s presence in Syria and Iraq is based on the official invitations of their legitimate governments.

“The Islamic Republic is present in its own geographical area. What are YOU doing in our region?” he asked, stressing that the US is the main sponsor of terrorism in the world.

He also urged the Iranian administration to show a practical response to the nonsense remarks and moves made by the United States.

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