Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tuesday that Tehran's missile and defense capabilities will not be part of negotiations with any party, reiterating a hardline stance first voiced last week. The statement comes as talks continue via the Pakistan-Qatar track.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei reiterated Tuesday that Tehran will not negotiate over its missile and defense capabilities with any party, in the latest restatement of the Islamic Republic's red-line stance on its military program. The remark mirrors a similar declaration Baqaei made on June 18, when he said Iran's missiles are 'for launching, not for negotiations.'
As The Zioneer first reported in depth on June 18, Iran has consistently drawn a line between nuclear negotiations and its conventional missile program — the latter framed as non-negotiable deterrence. The Tuesday statement comes as the US-Iran track mediated by Pakistan and Qatar continues at the technical level, though Iranian officials have repeatedly downplayed prospects of a breakthrough. The tone remains consistent with the broader Iranian posture: on June 14, the delegation's spokesman ruled out further talks with the US for the time being.
Baqaei's statement does not specify a trigger or upcoming round, and it remains unclear whether it responds to a specific proposal in the current talks. No immediate international reaction has been reported.
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