Army Commander: We Will Not Comply with Resolutions Against Iran

Ataollah Salehi, the Chief Commander of the Islamic Republic Army, emphasized on Thursday, February 4, that the Islamic Republic will not comply with United Nations Security Council resolutions related to Iran's missile and military programs. In response to a question about the impact of the nuclear agreement with the 5+1 group on Iran's military programs, Salehi stated, "We neither pay attention to nor comply with resolutions against Iran." The Army Commander asserted that not complying with Security Council resolutions on this issue is "not a violation of the JCPOA." He stressed that "we will continue our work and Iran's future missile program will be stronger and more precise." Iranian officials have previously stated that recent missile tests by Iran do not violate the nuclear agreement with world powers (JCPOA). Reports indicate that the United States government shares a similar view, although Washington believes that the missile tests violate UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which was issued to endorse the nuclear agreement, yet sanctions and restrictions against the Islamic Republic's missile program, especially concerning ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, remain in place. In this context, the United States also imposed new sanctions against Iran following the test of the missile known as "Emad," which faced negative reactions from officials in Tehran. However, despite a previous directive from Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stating that any new sanctions against Iran after the nuclear agreement would violate this agreement, Tehran did not take any specific action in response to these sanctions. In his remarks on Thursday, the Chief Commander of the Army also claimed that the Islamic Republic's military program "poses no threat to friendly and neighboring countries," but "it is a threat to the enemies of this regime, and Israel should understand this well." Salehi also emphasized that "the Zionist regime will not be eliminated except through resistance." Since its establishment, the Islamic Republic of Iran has fundamentally denied the existence of a country and government called Israel, and Iranian leaders and senior officials have repeatedly emphasized the destruction of Israel over the past 37 years. These statements have consistently faced negative reactions from Israel and its allies, as well as the international community.