Zanganeh: Total is very serious
President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that Iran’s defense power is a deterrent, over which the country will never negotiate in the face of threats. “Our national power is for peace, we gain power for deterrence. Deterrence is the same as dignified peace. We should be ready to remove and thwart threats against the people,” Rouhani said, addressing top military brass at a ceremony in Tehran.
Rouhani said Iran was ready to answer any possible questions but stressed that the country would not negotiate about its defense capabilities, Press TV reported.
“Our nation and authorities do not and will not need to negotiate with anyone or reach a deal with any power over their defensive capabilities,” he said.
“If any authority comes and asks a question, we will give a firm and strong answer. Our answer is clear. But we will procure any weapon or capability which we need within the framework of rules and regulations and the fatwas of our Leader,” he added.
Rouhani reiterated that the Islamic Republic is not after weapons of mass destruction according to a fatwa by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
Iran’s defense capabilities have become the subject of US interest for fresh pressures on Tehran, especially the country’s missile program.
On Monday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Washington was encouraging other UN Security Council countries to set aside the nuclear deal with Iran loathed by President Donald Trump and focus on cracking down on Iran’s missile program.
Rouhani further lent weight to Iran’s defense industry, saying the country has to become strong enough so that no enemy dares to threaten it.
“We must be strong and powerful, because the Qur’an tells us that we must be so powerful to take away the courage from the enemy and those threatening us,” he said.
“This means the enemy has either to be made disappointed about achieving success or know that if it attacks us, it will have to pay immense costs,” the president added.
Rouhani also touched on US threats against Russia with new atomic weapons following Washington’s publication of a document outlining plans to expand its nuclear capabilities.
“You see how the Americans are shamelessly threatening Russia with a new atomic weapon,” Rouhani said.
“The same people, who believe that weapons of mass destruction are a crime against humanity and say that international bodies have condemned them and all should destroy them, talk about new weapons,” he added. Iran’s oil minister lashed out at the United States on Sunday, saying that hostile comments by President Donald Trump had torpedoed new oil and gas contracts for the Islamic Republic.
The agreement, reached between Iran and the P5+1 countries – the US, the UK, France, China, Russia and Germany – puts limitations on parts of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for removing all nuclear-related sanctions. A decision to reimpose sanctions would have effectively ended the nuclear agreement.
The new US nuclear policy has riled Russia and raised fears that it could increase the risk of miscalculation between the two world powers.
Moscow on Saturday denounced the “bellicose” and “antirussian” nature of the policy, warning it would take necessary measures to ensure its own security.
China also said Sunday it is “firmly opposed” to the US new nuclear weapons policy statement, describing its speculation about Chinese intentions as “wild guesses”.
The report says China has added new types of nuclear capabilities – ranging from a mobile intercontinental ballistic missile to a new ballistic missile submarine – “with little to no transparency into its intentions”.
The report makes “wild guesses” about China’s intentions and exaggerates the threat of its nuclear force, Defense Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said in a statement. China is “firmly opposed to this”, Ren said. China “has always kept its own nuclear forces at the minimum level required by national security”, Ren said, pointing out that the US has the world’s largest nuclear arsenal.
“We hope that the United States will abandon its Cold War mentality,” Ren said.
Reuters, AFP and Press TV contributed to this story.