According to Iran state media, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared on Thursday that Tehran will not yield to pressure to lower its defense power, regional presence, or nuclear technological advances.
“Any suggestion that we diminish our defensive power to satisfy the enemy is foolish and ill-advised.” These faulty suggestions have been debunked over time, but if they hadn’t, Tehran would have faced grave threats,” Iran’s highest political authority stated, according to state media.
Iran seeking relaxations in Sanctions
The Islamic Republic, which considers the US and Israel to be its principal adversaries, is currently in the closing stages of discussions with foreign powers to resurrect a 2015 nuclear deal that would relieve sanctions in exchange for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. However, Israel and Gulf Arab countries are concerned that a resurrected deal may empower Iran to increase support for allies in Middle Eastern crises, utilizing monies from a newly sanction-free economy.
“Having a regional presence provides us more strategic depth and power.” “Khamenei stated the following. “Why should we abandon it? Scientific advancement in the nuclear sector is linked to our future requirements; if we abandon it, would anyone be able to assist us in the future?” he added.
Tehran demanded that the US reject “inappropriate suggestions” in the talks on Thursday, while Russia’s requests for guarantees from the US have hindered efforts to reach a deal. Iran and Saudi Arabia, which is backed by the West, have been involved in a rivalry that has spilled over into proxy wars across the region, from Yemen to Syria to Iraq. In Syria’s civil conflict, Tehran has backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Shi’ite militias in Iraq, Houthi rebels in Yemen, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.