Zarif: We Will Not Accept Foreign Oversight on Our Missile Program

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, stated that Tehran will not place its missile program under international control and that "the ambitions of the U.S. President in this regard will not be realized." Since the arrival of Donald Trump's administration, Iran's missile program, alongside its interventions in regional countries, has been a primary focus of U.S. criticism, with American officials citing these as examples of Iran's destabilizing and destructive behaviors for which the Islamic Republic must be held accountable. On January 12, Trump warned during the extension of the suspension of sanctions against Iran under the nuclear deal that if the catastrophic flaws of this agreement are not addressed, it would be the last time he votes to extend the suspension of sanctions. Among the four conditions that Trump has set for amending the flaws of the JCPOA is the prohibition of the expansion of Iran's ballistic missiles; other Western powers involved in the nuclear deal have also emphasized the need for dialogue regarding Iran's missile program despite their commitment to the JCPOA. Recently, Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, emphasized that Iranian-made missiles pose a security challenge for France's allies and that his country seeks to place Iran's ballistic missile program "under international oversight." However, on Monday, February 19, in Moscow, Zarif responded to a question about Iran's potential readiness to accept foreign oversight over its missile program by asking, "Why should we accept such a thing?" He only referred to Trump and stated that "the U.S. President has grand ambitions, but this ambition will never be realized." In addition to U.S. criticisms of Iran's missile program, the UN Security Council, in a resolution supporting the nuclear deal, prohibited Tehran from testing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads for several years, but Tehran has always claimed that the ballistic missiles it tests are not designed for this purpose. Meanwhile, as Western powers show more willingness to discuss other Iranian behaviors, including its missile program, Iran accuses them of attempting to "reduce its defensive and deterrent capabilities" and emphasizes that it will not allow "others" to work in this direction. On Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Minister also warned at the Munich Security Conference regarding the nuclear deal that "if Iran's interests are not met, Iran will respond, and its response will be serious, causing regret for some of their wrong actions." He also emphasized: "We will not be the first to violate the agreement." Reports indicate that Zarif's trip to Moscow is to participate in the so-called Valdai Club conference, a gathering of Russian foreign policy experts focusing on the Middle East. During this conference and after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Zarif criticized the U.S. for supporting Kurdish forces opposed to Bashar al-Assad, accusing the U.S. of "illegitimate presence" in Syria. After the meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia and Iran in Moscow, Russian media quoted Zarif as saying that what he calls the "illegitimate presence" of the U.S. in Syria has fueled "serious concern" in Tehran. Both Iran and Russia have been the main allies of Bashar al-Assad during nearly seven years of the Syrian civil war, and the military presence of both countries has helped the Syrian government stabilize its power in many parts of the country. However, while Russia has mostly supported the Syrian army with air support in its conflict with Assad's opponents, Iran has sent forces to fight alongside the Syrian army in a formation known as the "Defenders of the Shrine." Iranian officials have acknowledged that more than two thousand of Iran's dispatched forces in Syria have been killed, and it has also been reported that hundreds of Pakistani and Afghan forces organized and sent to Syria by Iran in the form of the Fatemiyoun and Zainabiyoun brigades have also lost their lives in the Syrian civil war. Iran's presence in Syria, which is adjacent to Israel, has raised concerns in this key U.S. ally in the region, and Israeli officials have repeatedly warned that they will not tolerate Iran's presence in Syria. In the latest of these warnings, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday at the Munich Security Conference cautioned Iran against testing Israel's patience, stating that his country would act against Iran if necessary.