IRANIAN President Masoud Pezeshkian said yesterday that Tehran would never negotiate over its defence and deterrence capabilities, arguing that the country’s missile arsenal had prevented it from suffering the same fate as Gaza.
Speaking alongside Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a joint press conference in Islamabad, Pezeshkian said Iran would never discuss its defence and deterrence capabilities with any party under any circumstances.
He firmly ruled out any negotiations over Iran’s military capabilities, saying the country’s defence strength was essential to safeguarding its sovereignty against external threats.
‘We will never negotiate with anyone over our defence capabilities,’ he said.
‘Had we not built the missiles needed to defend ourselves, Israel and the United States would have treated Iran as they treated Gaza, showing no mercy to the old or the young.’
The Iranian president said Tehran’s military strength has served as a deterrent against aggression, rejecting calls for discussions on the country’s defence programme.
‘The Islamic Republic of Iran will never, under any conditions, hold talks with any side about its defence and deterrence capabilities,’ he said.
Pezeshkian also criticised Western countries that portray themselves as defenders of human rights, saying such claims were inconsistent with their actions.
‘Those who speak of human rights are telling a great lie,’ he said. ‘If we were unable to defend ourselves, they certainly would not have shown mercy to our country and would have sought to destroy our power.’
Expressing solidarity with Iran, Sharif said: ‘Your happiness is our happiness. Your sorrow is our sorrow,’ adding: ‘Iran’s success is our success. Iran’s loss is our loss.’
He announced plans to visit Tehran next week to attend the funeral procession of the late Islamic Revolution Leader Martyr Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
