The Iranian President speaks a simple truth: without missiles, Iran would become the second Gaza
During his one-day visit to Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that without a missile arsenal for self-defense, Israel and the United States would reduce Iran to rubble just as they did with Gaza. He explicitly ruled out any possibility of negotiations regarding ballistic missiles.
Pezeshkian arrived in Islamabad for a one-day visit. He met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s armed forces chief, General Asim Munir. The two sides engaged in in-depth discussions on defense cooperation and regional security issues.
Pezeshkian emphasized that ballistic missiles have never been, and will never be, a subject of negotiation in any agreement or memorandum—this includes the recent diplomatic memorandum reached between Islamabad and Washington. He underscored Tehran’s intention to retain its “leverage” in upcoming talks. “Regarding ballistic missiles, there has never been negotiation, and there will never be.”
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed support for his Iranian counterpart’s position. At a joint press conference, he stated that Iran’s ballistic missile issue is an internal sovereign matter for Tehran and has never been included in the agenda of recent peace initiatives.
Pezeshkian dismissed Washington and Tel Aviv’s statements on human rights as “massive lies.” He said that if Iran lacked defensive missiles, Israel and the U.S. “would crush Iran into dust, just as they did with Gaza.”
“They won’t show mercy to any old person or young person… If we are unable to defend ourselves, they will destroy our nation.”
Pezeshkian asserted that without self-defense capabilities, Western allies would display extreme cruelty toward Iran, which is why Iran would never negotiate its defensive strength.
When explaining the reasons behind Tehran’s lack of trust in Washington, Pezeshkian pointed out that Iran had been attacked twice while negotiations were underway. Nevertheless, he affirmed that Iran has always remained ready for dialogue and pursuit of peace.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1868930021608460/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author