- Iran says it won’t negotiate over its missile capabilities.
- Supreme Leader’s adviser says missiles are Iran’s red line.
- Netanyahu pushes to include missiles in US-Iran deal.
Iran’s missile capabilities are its red line and are not a subject to be negotiated, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader said on Wednesday, as Tehran and Washington eye a new round of talks to avert conflict.
US and Iranian diplomats held indirect talks last week in Oman, amid a regional naval buildup by the US threatening Iran.
“The Islamic Republic’s missile capabilities are non-negotiable,” Ali Shamkhani said, according to state media, while appearing in a march commemorating the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
Washington has long sought to extend talks on Iran’s nuclear capabilities to cover its missile programme as well.
Iran has said it is prepared to discuss curbs on its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions, but has repeatedly ruled out linking the issue to other questions, including missiles.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to use a meeting with Trump in Washington on Wednesday to push for any US-Iran deal to include limitations on Tehran’s missiles.
President Donald Trump will host Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday, where the Israeli prime minister is expected to press him to widen US talks with Iran to include limits on Tehran’s missile arsenal and other security threats beyond its nuclear program.
In his seventh meeting with Trump since the president returned to office nearly 13 months ago, Netanyahu will be looking to influence the next round of US discussions with Iran following nuclear negotiations held in Oman last Friday.
Trump has threatened strikes on Iran if no agreement is reached, while Tehran has vowed to retaliate, stoking fears of a wider war. He has repeatedly voiced support for a secure Israel, a longstanding US ally and arch-foe of Iran.
In media interviews on Tuesday, Trump repeated his warning, saying that while he believes Iran wants a deal, he would do “something very tough” if it refused.
Trump told Fox Business that a good deal with Iran would mean “no nuclear weapons, no missiles,” without elaborating. He also told Axios he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group as part of a major US buildup near Iran.
Israel fears that the US might pursue a narrow nuclear deal that does not include limitations on Iran’s ballistic missile program, according to people familiar with the matter.
“I will present to the president our perceptions of the principles in the negotiations,” Netanyahu told reporters before departing for the US. The two leaders could also discuss potential military action if diplomacy with Iran fails, one source said.
