Rafsanjani: My Remarks on Missiles Were from Seven Years Ago

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has described the statement attributed to him regarding opposition to Iran's missile tests as 'completely false' and considered the events surrounding it as 'one of the latest examples of immorality.' He stated that his remarks were from seven years ago. According to the IRNA news agency, the head of Iran's Expediency Council said on Tuesday, April 16, during a group meeting, that the issues surrounding the tweet attributed to him were 'one of the latest examples of immorality' and added, 'A statement has been attributed to me that is fundamentally false and was never made.' Two weeks ago, a tweet attributed to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani stated, 'The world of tomorrow is the world of discourses, not missiles.' According to ISNA news agency, without referring to the full text of his original statement, he expressed regret over the 'distortion and arbitrary truncation of this statement and the hasty actions of some groups to exploit it.' In this meeting, one of the attendees asked him, 'What is the story of your remarks about missiles and discourse that were published on Twitter, which has led to some exploiting it to suggest a rift between you and the Supreme Leader?' Rafsanjani said, 'The citation of this statement was new to me as well, and I asked for the original statement to be brought, which was, and I saw that it was related to the date of November 14, 2008, meaning seven years ago, in a detailed interview with a Dutch film crew about the history of the use of chemical weapons against Iran.' He stated that Iran's missile program started from 'zero' during his tenure as the Speaker of Parliament and Commander during the Iran-Iraq War and was strengthened during his presidency. Rafsanjani emphasized that he has always stressed the necessity of completing and strengthening Iran's missile project as a defensive and deterrent power. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, on April 11, defended Iran's missile program and accused critics of this program within the country of 'treason.' Media close to conservatives have referred to the remarks of the Supreme Leader of Iran as directed at Hashemi Rafsanjani and his tweet. Following the Supreme Leader's remarks, sources close to Rafsanjani denied the statement and considered it 'incomplete' and 'abridged' and published without his knowledge. However, Sadegh Larijani, the head of Iran's judiciary, on Tuesday referred to the statement attributed to Rafsanjani and said that 'using such expressions, if deliberate, is treason to the country.' Meanwhile, according to Fars news agency, 154 members of parliament on Tuesday issued a statement without mentioning details, calling 'questioning the policy of missile development within the country' as 'in agreement' with the U.S. President and 'in collaboration' with Israel. These representatives emphasized in their statement that 'taking such positions to weaken the Iranian nation against its enemies can only be due to ignorance or treason.' Iran's recent missile tests have faced reactions from the United States and European powers. The U.S., along with France, Britain, and Germany, has described these tests as a disregard for the United Nations resolution and has called on the Security Council to address them. According to these countries, the tested Iranian missiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads and therefore are inconsistent with UN Security Council Resolution 2231. However, according to interpretations by some diplomats at the UN Security Council, the likelihood of punishing Iran for missile tests is weak, as the text of Resolution 2231 regarding Iran is ambiguous and closes the door on the possibility of sanctions and allows for alternative interpretations. The UN Security Council, in July of last year, issued Resolution 2231, which endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and six world powers, asking Iran to 'avoid any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads for eight years after the first day of the implementation of the JCPOA, including the use of technology related to these missiles.' Meanwhile, Iranian officials claim that Iran's ballistic missiles are defensive in nature and do not have the capability to carry nuclear warheads, thus their test launches do not violate the aforementioned resolution. Barack Obama, the President of the United States, said on April 13 that the Islamic Republic is engaging in 'a range of provocative actions,' including 'testing ballistic missiles, chanting anti-Israeli slogans, and sending missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon,' which he said worries potential investors. On the same day, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, implicitly confirmed Obama's remarks, stating that 'we [the Islamic Republic] also contribute somewhat to the atmosphere of distrust.'