In a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in Tehran on
Monday, Ali Shamkhani described Iran’s defense power, particularly its missile
program, as "an inevitable necessity” in line with the country’s deterrent
policies.
"Iran’s defense power is not a threat to any country, and its enhancement is a
function of the security needs and (the need to counter) potential threats
against the country without being influenced by political factors,” he added.
His comments came after Le Drian’s controversial comments about Iran’s missile
program ahead of his trip to Tehran. "There are programs for missiles that can
travel several thousand kilometers, which are not compatible with UN Security
Council resolutions and which exceed the needs of defending Iran's borders,” the
top French diplomat had told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper.
Elsewhere in the meeting, Shamkhani called on Europe to accelerate the
implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear
agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France
and Germany).
He also criticized Europe’s "wrong” policy of making concessions to the US
government to keep it in the nuclear agreement, slamming it as "passiveness and
giving in to Trump’s psychological game.”
The top security official further decried France for hosting the members of
anti-Iran terrorist groups who have been behind the assassination of thousands
of people.
As regards the Saudi-led military campaign against Yemen, Shamkhani decried the
West’s double-standards and deliberate ignorance of the humanitarian crisis in
the Arab country.
On Syria, the Iranian official stressed the need for the continuation of
Syrian-Syrian dialogue and a halt to support for armed opposition groups and
terrorists in order to restore calm and stability.
For his part, the visiting French minister praised Iran for its full commitment
to the JCPOA, saying France is opposed to the US stances on the nuclear accord
and believes they undermine the deal.
Pointing to the "very bright prospect” for Tehran-Paris political and economic
ties in the post-JCPOA era, Le Drian said new plans for stimulating monetary and
banking interaction between France and Iran would be made public soon.
The French minister’s visit to Tehran comes against a backdrop of criticism of
Paris for its push to hold talks on Iran’s missile program.
In comments in October 2017, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed
Ali Khamenei categorically rejected the idea of negotiations on Iran’s defense
power, stressing that the country will press ahead with the plans to boost its
might and build up its defense capabilities.
"As we have announced several times in the past and announce it once again, the
country’s defense capabilities and power are not subject to negotiations and
bargaining,” Ayatollah Khamenei said at the time.
Source:Tasnim News Agency