Iran president: If we don’t have missiles, Israel will bomb us, just like in Gaza

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says that Tehran will never give up on its missile program, as it needs such deterrence for its security in a region where its arch-foe Israel is able to “drop missiles on Gaza every day.”

The Islamic Republic has for years defied Western calls to limit its missile program.

The United States and its allies have more recently accused Iran of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine, imposing fresh sanctions on Moscow and Tehran.

Both countries have denied the claims.

“If we don’t have missiles, they will bomb us whenever they want, just like in Gaza,” Pezeshkian said, referring to the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

He reiterates Tehran’s official stance, calling on the international community “to first disarm Israel before making the same demands to Iran.”

Iran could hold direct talks with the United States if Washington proved in practice that it was not hostile to the Islamic Republic, Pezeshkian adds.