Iran rules out ballistic missile restrictions in resumed U.S. nuclear talks

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has firmly ruled out any discussion of the country’s ballistic missile capabilities in the newly resumed, Oman-mediated negotiations with the United States, stating they are not and will never be on the agenda.

“Our missiles are not and will not be a subject of negotiations,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a nationwide rally in Tehran on Wednesday (11 February) marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

He was responding to U.S.-Israeli demands to limit the range of Iran’s missiles to 500 kilometres so that they could not reach Israel.

Official media quoted Araghchi as saying that the date and venue of the upcoming indirect meeting between Iranian and U.S. negotiators “have not yet been determined”.

Last Friday, Iran and the U.S. resumed a new round of nuclear talks mediated by Oman, during which Iran stressed that only the nuclear programme was discussed.

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Addressing demonstrators at the rally in Tehran, President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons and rejected what he described as “excessive” U.S. demands.

“Iran will not give in to excessive U.S. demands” in the resumed mediated nuclear talks, he said, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the U.S. with Iran on the agenda of his meetings.

“Distrust of the West and the U.S. hinders progress in the talks,” Pezeshkian said, adding that the date and venue of the next round remain under consultation.

Tehran has categorically rejected what it calls Washington’s “zero enrichment” condition and demands to drastically limit the range of its ballistic missiles as a “red line” in any potential deal.

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