Eyeing second round of US talks, Iranian officials say they are willing to talk nuclear, but draw a red line on ballistic missiles.
Iran is unwilling to compromise on its missile capabilities, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader has said, indicating a potential sticking point in negotiations with the United States.
Ali Shamkhani made the statement during an event marking the 47th anniversary of the Islamic revolution. “The Islamic Republic’s missile capabilities are non-negotiable,” he was quoted by state media as saying.
His remarks follow a round of mediated talks between the US and Iranian officials last week in Oman that failed to yield a breakthrough. Iran wants the talks to focus exclusively on nuclear issues, while the US has pushed to also address Iran’s ballistic missile programme and regional alliances.
“The Iranians are saying we are ready to talk nuclear, but we are not ready to talk ballistics,” said Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Tehran, Iran. “For the United States, this is a big issue.”
Many Iranians, still marked by memories of last June’s 12-day war with Israel that killed some 610 people in the country, fear the prospect of renewed conflict. “Many here are quite concerned this could lead to something unfavourable,” said Hashem.
Washington and Tehran are weighing another round of talks, though no date has been announced.
US President Donald Trump has sent mixed signals on the negotiations. While saying the first round was “very good”, he also threatened military action if Iran does not meet US demands.
“Either we will make a deal, or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” Trump told US news site Axios on Tuesday.
Trump also floated the idea of sending a second aircraft carrier towards Iran, a menacing signal after the US bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
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