Defending Missile Tests; Velayati: We Will Continue Our Activities with Strength

Ali Akbar Velayati, the international affairs advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and head of the Strategic Research Center of the Expediency Discernment Council, defended Iran's missile tests on Thursday, February 3, describing them as a "defensive" action and stating that Iran will continue its defense activities with strength. According to ISNA news agency, he spoke after meeting with Vigen Sargsyan, the Armenian Minister of Defense, in Tehran, and in response to comments made by Michael Flynn, the National Security Advisor to the U.S. President, he said: "An inexperienced person is making illogical statements, and Iran does not pay attention." General Flynn has been one of the most important intelligence officials in the U.S. military in recent years and has held several intelligence positions, including director of the intelligence and security section of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and senior security officer for coalition military forces in Afghanistan. He has been a strong critic of Obama’s national security policy over the past two years and has since retired. Velayati stated that "this is not the first time an inexperienced person from America has threatened Iran," calling it "hollow" and adding, "Trump will eventually realize that these hollow threats against Iran only diminish their credibility in public opinion." The Supreme Leader's international affairs advisor described that America will suffer from these "extremisms," adding: "This gentleman or those who have just begun their governance experience should learn from the experiences of those who governed in the past in America not to make unsupported threats and not to make themselves a plaything for other countries and global public opinion." The U.S. National Security Advisor condemned Iran's missile tests on Wednesday, February 2, stating that Tehran's activities pose a threat to the U.S., its friends, and allies in the region. Flynn described Iran's missile tests as a violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution, adding: "From today, we officially warn Iran." He called Iran's behavior "destabilizing" and stated: "The Obama administration has failed to respond appropriately to Iran's harmful actions - including arms shipments, support for terrorism, and violations of other international rules." Trump’s National Security Advisor stated that "Iran has now become bolder," adding that "Iran's ballistic missile tests put the lives of people in America at risk; a threat to the U.S., its friends, and allies in the region, and Washington condemns such actions." Iran's missile test on February 1 has drawn criticism from several countries, including the U.S., Israel, France, and the European Union. Meanwhile, Russia has not considered this test a violation of the United Nations Security Council resolution. The Islamic Republic of Iran claims that its missile tests do not violate the JCPOA or UN Security Council Resolution 2231. According to this resolution, Iran is prohibited from developing ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads for eight years. According to ISNA, the Supreme Leader's international affairs advisor stated: "What the new government has brought to the American people will have harmful results for the national interests of this country." He claimed that Americans have failed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, adding: "The recent Astana summit showed that Iran, Russia, and Turkey, as effective countries regarding the Syrian issue, can solve their problems without the presence of America and other Western countries." Tehran has previously been accused of interfering in the internal affairs of countries such as Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. However, Iran denies these accusations. Nevertheless, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis called for a response to what he termed Iran's "interventionist" actions in the Middle East during a phone conversation with his Saudi counterpart on Tuesday, February 1. Earlier, Nikki Haley, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, rejected Iranian officials' statements that missile tests do not violate the Security Council resolution and are defensive in nature. Ms. Haley stated: "The missile tested on Sunday has the capability to carry a 500-kilogram warhead with a range of up to 300 kilometers."