Looking ahead to a second round of talks with the United States, Iranian officials say they are ready to discuss nuclear issues, but will draw the line at ballistic missiles.
listen to this article4 minutes
information
An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader said Iran has no intention of compromising on its missile capabilities, hinting at a potential impasse in negotiations with the United States.
Ali Shamkhani made this statement on Wednesday during an event commemorating the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. “The Islamic Republic’s missile capabilities are non-negotiable,” state media quoted him as saying.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
His remarks came after a series of mediated talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in Oman last week failed to produce a breakthrough. Iran wants the talks to focus solely on nuclear issues, but the United States wants them to also address Iran’s ballistic missile program and regional alliances.
“The Iranians say they are ready to talk about nuclear, but they are not ready to talk about ballistics,” Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Tehran, said. “For the United States, this is a big problem.”
Many Iranians, still haunted by memories of last June’s 12-day war with Israel that killed around 610 people in the country, are concerned about the possibility of a recurrence of the conflict. “Many here are very concerned that this could lead to something untoward,” Hashem said.
“We will not yield to invasion”
The U.S. and Iranian governments are considering new talks, but no date has been announced.
US President Donald Trump has sent mixed signals regarding negotiations. He said the first round had gone “very well,” but threatened military action if Iran did not meet U.S. demands.
“Either we make a deal or we have to do something very tough like last time,” President Trump told the US news site Axios on Tuesday.
Trump also floated the idea of sending a second aircraft carrier toward Iran, signaling a threat, after the United States bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that his country is ready to prove the peaceful nature of its nuclear program, but “will not give in to excessive demands.”
“Our country, Iran, will not succumb to aggression, but continues to do our best to maintain dialogue with neighboring countries in order to establish peace and tranquility in the region,” Pezeshkian said.
Emir of Qatar, President Trump meet with Iranian President Larijani
Meanwhile, Iran’s Ali Larijani, another senior adviser to Supreme Leader Khamenei, visited Qatar and met with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to discuss the status of talks with the United States.
Larijani told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that the discussions were positive and that Iran remained in touch with “all sides” about the possibility of a second round of talks with the United States.
The emir of Qatar also spoke by phone with President Trump ahead of the US president’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Israeli prime minister is expected to pressure Trump to take a tougher stance in negotiations with Iran, including demanding concessions on Tehran’s military weapons, including ballistic missiles, and support for regional groups like Hezbollah.
Hassan Ahmadian, an associate professor at the University of Tehran, said Iran views its ballistic missile program as a red line that should not be crossed because it is important to its defense.
“There are limits to what Iran can offer,” Ahmadian told Al Jazeera. “So far, Iranian policymakers have argued that talks about Iran’s defense capabilities are unacceptable. Attacking a country and then expecting it to hand over key defenses is a ridiculous argument.”
