Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor-in-chief of the conservative newspaper Kayhan, said
since the beginning of talks over the Iran nuclear deal, the US government
insisted that in addition to nuclear restrictions, the Islamic Republic should
also accept other limitations on its missile program and regional influence.
"The Europeans are now repeating the same demands in another form by pressuring
Iran into accepting restrictions on its missile programs,” he was quoted as
saying in an interview with Tasnim.
He went on saying there is no need to concurrently accept restriction on Iran’s
nuclear program and sanctions on the country.
Shariatmadari said the US decided easily to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal
because it was assured earlier by the European states that its demands from Iran
will be fully met after its withdrawal.
He said the current negotiations between Iran and the EU over the JCPOA are like
those held back in 2003 and added in the previous talks, the Europeans began to
raise their demands after making sure that Iran’s nuclear activities have become
suspended. "They took another step forward and urged Iran to completely halt its
nuclear activities.”
He then said Iran should stand against the Europeans’ illegitimate demands.
"We should make a preemptive strike on the west and force it to retreat from its
unusual demands,” he said.
Shariatmadari then expressed regret that the Iranian government didn’t give a
resolute response to the US pullout of the nuclear deal.
Iranian officials said the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 guarantees the
JCPOA’s implementation but the US simply violated the resolution without facing
a crushing response by Iran, he added.
Source: IFP news