Rouhani: Nuke deal won’t affect Iran’s military capabilities

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday that the country’s military capability has not been affected by the nuclear agreement. His comments were apparently designed to reassure hardline opponents at home that the agreement does not signal a weakening of Tehran’s standing.

“With regards to our defensive capability, we did not and will not accept any limitations,” Rouhani was quoted by Reuters saying at a press conference aired on Iranian TV.

“We will do whatever we need to do to defend our country, whether with missiles or other methods,” the Iranian president said.

Rouhani on Saturday also opposed a parliamentary vote on the landmark nuclear deal reached with world powers.

He said the deal was a political understanding reached with world powers, not a new pact that requires parliamentary approval.

A special committee of the parliament has begun studying the deal before putting it to a vote. But the legality of such a move is in doubt because the government has not prepared a bill to parliament for vote on.

Rouhani said the Supreme National Security Council, the country’s highest security decision-making body, is already studying the agreement.

Israel strongly opposes the agreement, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the fact that the US did not strive for an overall bargain that would include Iran’s nuclear research, weapons development and terror sponsorship.