Iran’s missile program will never be on negotiating table: Shamkhani
Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities are a "red line" that will never be placed on the negotiating table, a high-ranking Iranian defense official has said.
Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, who serves as the secretary of Iran’s Defense Council, a subsidiary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), made the remarks on the sidelines of the February 11 Islamic Revolution anniversary rallies.
The statement comes as Washington continues to push for an expansion of ongoing nuclear talks to include Tehran’s missile development. Shamkhani’s comments were a direct response to renewed calls from the administration of President Donald Trump for missile restrictions.
While Iran has expressed willingness to discuss its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, it has consistently decoupled its defensive missile program from those negotiations.
Shamkhani said Washington’s “habit” of combining threats with diplomacy was a tired tactic used to give “credibility” to its negotiation stance, but Tehran remains unmoved by that posture.
‘Limited attack’ means full-scale war
Rear Admiral Shamkhani said any military provocation, regardless of its scale, would be met with a total response.
Shamkhani warned the United States against a "limited strike" on Iranian interests, saying the Iranian Armed Forces have clearly signaled through both official statements and field displays of power that any aggression would be viewed as the start of an all-out war.
"A military conflict in a region with such a level of sensitivity and density of interests cannot be restricted to a specific geography or just two parties," Shamkhani warned.
Due to the region's vital energy infrastructure, he said, any conflict would have "global consequences" affecting lives far beyond West Asia.
Shamkhani said the only logical path forward for the West is to pursue "serious dialogue" and abandon "theatrical and propaganda behaviors" that are only meant to destabilize the region further.
The remarks come amid a visit to Washington by the Israeli regime's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu is expected to meet with Trump to push for a tougher US stance, specifically demanding that any future deal include strict limitations on Tehran’s ballistic arsenal.
On the eve of the White House meeting, President Trump signaled he was considering sending a second naval "armada" to West Asia to increase pressure on Iran.
On February 8, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated that Iran’s missile program has "never been, and never will be," part of the agenda in the nuclear talks.
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