Zarif Says Defensive Issues Not Negotiable

 Tehran –Foreign minister said that US officials including US secretary of state know well that Iran’s defense capabilities are not negotiable for bargaining and no Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action(JCPOA) is on the agenda in this regard.

Mohammad Javad Zarif made the remarks in a joint press conference with visiting Estonian Foreign Minister Marina Kaljurand.

If US is serious towards defensive issues, it should decrease and stop selling weapons to certain regimes that kill innocent civilians in Yemen and Palestinian Occupied lands, he added.

Zarif referred to the US Department of State reports on nuclear talks adding that this US institution have confessed for several times that the JCPOA do not include defensive issues.

 US secretary of state remarks that accuse Iran of sponsoring terrorism is so much baseless that nobody will pay attention to around the world, he noted.

Zarif said that the danger of terrorism and extremism is the result of US presence in the region.

Iran had warned about the consequences of attacking and occupying Iraq before the US attack, he added.

Unfortunately the world including the people of Syria and Iraq are suffering from the aggressive policies of US former President George W. Bush and at the present time, certain states are helping spread of extremism and Daesh terrorism and sacrifice the future of their country’s security for short term interests, Zarif said.

He noted that at the present time, Mr. Kerry should ask US allies who provide Daesh with weapons and who buy the oil and the looted antiques of Iraq and Syria from this terrorist groups to stop such practices.

Instead of leveling baseless accusations against Iran, it is required that they have a serious look at regional developments and do not cause more trouble for themselves and others by dangerous programs, Zarif said.

Washington has denounced Iran’s ballistic missiles program, including a March 9 test of two ballistic missiles, as a violation of a United Nations ban. Iran maintains they are not covered by the UN ban, which is linked to last year’s landmark nuclear agreement.

Defense power, matter of national sovereignty rights, says Velayati

Meanwhile, Chairman of Center for Research Studies affiliated to the Expediency Council Ali Akbar Velayati said on Sunday that defense power is a matter of national sovereignty rights and that Iranian defense capability is not negotiable.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of a meeting with Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marina Kaljurand.

Responding to a question about statement of US Secretary of State John Kerry that Iran’s regional defense power should be restricted, Velayati said that Kerry made wrong statement and that the defense capabilities of the states are the subject of sovereignty rights.

Iran’s defense power is none of Kerry’s business to talk about, he said.

‘The Americans have made many such remarks in the past 37 years since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, but we never heeded them.’

Iranian nation’s defense power is meant for safeguarding the territorial integrity, independence and revolutionary achievements, he said.

IRNA

RS