Medicalian's Statements on Missile Delivery to Russia, Guidance Patrol, and House Arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasized in his first press conference that Iran will not abandon its missile program, but also stated that since he took office, Iranian missiles have not been sent to Russia. Masoud Behdijian said in the press conference held on Monday, September 17, that since he began his presidency, the Islamic Republic has not sent missiles to Russia. He noted, 'There may have been exchanges of missiles between the two countries before, as there was no prohibition, but since we came, we have not given anything to Russia. We have not given any missiles to Russia at all during this period.' The United States, Britain, France, Germany, and the European Union confirmed reports of Iranian ballistic missile deliveries to Russia and subsequently imposed new sanctions on individuals and entities in Iran. Behdijian also stated that Iran will not abandon its missile development program because, according to him, 'if we do not have missiles, they will drop bombs on us whenever they want, like in Gaza.' He accused Israel of wanting to drag Iran into a regional war by assassinating Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, adding, 'We have exercised restraint until now, but we reserve the right to defend ourselves at a specified time and place with specific methods.' Ismail Haniyeh, the former head of the political bureau of the extremist group Hamas, was assassinated on July 31, just hours after attending Behdijian's inauguration ceremony at his residence in northern Tehran. Israel has not officially accepted responsibility for this assassination, but senior officials of the Islamic Republic, including Ali Khamenei, have repeatedly threatened Israel with 'revenge and retribution.' The Iranian president also denied sending hypersonic missiles by the Islamic Republic to the Houthis in Yemen. Behdijian acknowledged that the Islamic Republic and Houthi militants share a 'coordinated' view towards Israel, stating, 'Iran cannot send hypersonic missiles to Yemen. We do not have that type of missile in Iran at all.' He further claimed that the Houthis in Yemen possess the technology to produce hypersonic missiles and 'they produce them themselves.' The Israeli army rejected the Houthis' claim that they targeted Israel with a hypersonic missile. The Iranian president denied the existence of hypersonic missiles in Iran, despite the Revolutionary Guard having reported on the production of such missiles several times, introducing a new type called 'Fattah 2' last November. Behdijian also commented on relations with the United States, stating that if the U.S. 'respects our rights, we have no quarrel. We want to grow in security in our country.' In response to another question about negotiations with the U.S., he said, 'Whenever we want to talk to someone, they say the U.S. has not allowed it. In such a situation, what should we say? First, they should show that they do not have enmity towards us. We do not have enmity with them. We did not build bases around the U.S. and impose sanctions on them; they did that. They built bases and threaten us; they should not do these things; we are actually brothers with the Americans.' He also called for resolving issues related to Iran's accession to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and stated that he would write a letter to the Expediency Discernment Council regarding this matter. Behdijian said, 'We have no choice but to resolve the FATF issue. I will definitely write a letter to the Expediency Council to have this issue back on their agenda so we can resolve it, and we must resolve it.' This council had previously rejected the bills prepared by Hassan Rouhani's government, which were approved by the parliament but opposed by the Guardian Council. The Iranian president stated, 'If we can resolve the FATF and JCPOA issues and improve our relations with the world, we can achieve our goals.' In response to a question from CCTV, the Chinese state television, about the future of Iran-China relations, Behdijian explained that Iran has always had a good relationship with China and that most of the country's relations are with China and Russia. He referred to the 25-year joint agreement and added that focus should be on its implementation. Behdijian also emphasized that Iran is a strategic partner of China and mentioned the Silk Road, stating that it should facilitate access to Chinese markets and vice versa. Regarding the house arrest of the leaders of the Green Movement, Behdijian said that the issue of Mehdi Karroubi is 'resolved' and 'we are working on the other one.' He referred to Mir Hossein Mousavi, the protest candidate from the controversial 2009 election, who has been under house arrest since February 2011, along with his wife, Zahra Rahnavard. He did not mention Ms. Rahnavard. Mehdi Karroubi, another protest candidate from that election, is also under house arrest. In Iran, the term 'house arrest' is commonly used for this punishment without a trial. The use of the term 'the other one' for Mr. Mousavi has faced widespread reactions on social media, even from some of Behdijian's supporters. He further indicated the continued opposition of the Green Movement leaders to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stating, 'We should not confront the system.' In response to another question about his order for the return of expelled students, he said, 'The state television held a session and said some of them are conspirators. The implication of this matter is not that a conspirator should return; we should hand them over to the judiciary for trial, but if someone has expressed an opinion, why should they be rejected for their opinion? Answer them.' He also pointed out that some students were deprived of education due to protests against suspicious attacks on girls' schools in 2022, stating that he witnessed 'many students' in Tabriz being deprived of two or three semesters due to these protests. In this press conference, a reporter from the Andisheh Pouya magazine criticized the presence of Guidance Patrols in the streets before asking his question, stating, 'I took many shortcuts and alleys to get here to avoid being caught by the Guidance Patrol.' Behdijian laughed in response to this statement and said, 'Are they still bothering you? Because they were not supposed to bother you. We will follow up to ensure they do not bother you.' Regarding the Guidance Patrols, a reporter from the German ZDF television network also asked about the actions taken so far to disband the Guidance Patrols. Masoud Behdijian vaguely indicated that 'we are trying. There are regulations being drafted in the Ministry of Interior, but on one hand, we are under pressure, and on the other hand, we should not allow these incidents to happen.' During the election campaign, he referred to the police plan to reinstate the Guidance Patrols, known as the 'Noor Plan,' as 'darkness.' On June 15, at a women's campaign rally, he stated regarding the demand of some women present for the abolition of the 'Noor Plan,' 'In Turkish, we have a proverb that says now they call darkness light.' Behdijian, however, stated that he does not make 'promises' and added that 'I will do everything in my power to change such a situation' and 'I will undoubtedly be an advocate for women's rights.'