Iran’s FM backtracks from missile remarks

TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign minister has said his country has no choice but to manufacture missiles for defence purposes, in further backtracking after a remark by the top diplomat suggesting the missiles could be up for negotiation.

Mohammad Javad Zarif said in an interview with NBC News earlier this week that if the US wants to talk about Iran’s missiles, it needs “first to stop selling all these weapons, including missiles, to our region”.

Tehran has long rejected negotiations over its ballistic missile programme, which remains under the control of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard that answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The foreign minister’s remarks suggested a possible opening for talks as tensions remain high between Tehran and Washington. But the Iranian mission to the United Nations promptly called Zarif’s suggestion “hypothetical” and said the missiles were “absolutely and under no condition negotiable with anyone or any country”.

In Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi tweeted that Zarif’s comments meant to challenge Washington and “threw the ball into the US court while challenging America’s arm sales” to its Middle Eastern allies.

Zarif himself backpedalled on the missiles issue, saying Iran has no choice but to manufacture the missiles for its own defence.

He cited the 1980s Iran-Iraq war and tweeted: “For 8 YEARS, Saddam (Hussein) showered our cities with missiles & bombs provided by East & West. Meanwhile, NO ONE sold Iran any means of defense.

We had no choice but building our own. Now they complain. Instead of skirting the issue, US must end arms sales to Saddam’s reincarnations.”

Tensions with Washington have sharply escalated since President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and reimposed sanctions on Iran, sending its economy into freefall.

America has also rushed thousands of additional troops, an aircraft carrier, nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and advanced fighter jets to the Middle East amid unspecified threats from Iran.