Iran’s supreme leader described as “stupid and idiotic” Western expectations for his country to curb its missile development, striking a defiant tone ahead of a fresh round of nuclear talks.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Iran's Revolutionary Guards to mass produce missiles and said nuclear negotiations were not the place to discuss Tehran's defence programme or to solve the problem of sanctions damaging the Iranian economy.
Military action
"They expect us to limit our missile programme while they constantly threaten Iran with military action," the ayatollah was quoted as telling the IRNA news agency while on a visit to an aeronautics fair held by the Revolutionary Guards.
“So this is a stupid, idiotic expectation . . . The revolutionary guards should definitely carry out their programme and not be satisfied with the present level. They should mass produce. This is a main duty of all military officials.”
Iran and the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia will reconvene in Vienna tomorrow to try to iron out differences over how to end a standoff over suspicions that Tehran has sought the means to develop nuclear weapons.
Nuclear warheads
Iran has one of the biggest missile programmes in the Middle East, viewing it as an essential precautionary defence against the US and other adversaries such as Israel.
The United States and its allies fret that such missiles could potentially carry nuclear warheads.The Islamic Republic denies accusations it is seeking a capability to make nuclear weapons. It insists that the missiles are part of its conventional armed forces and rules out including them on the agenda of the nuclear discussions.
The ayatollah's comments appear at odds with remarks earlier by president Hassan Rouhani, who said he wanted Iran to do a better job of explaining its nuclear programme to prevent "evil-minded" people misleading world opinion. – (Reuters)