The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, stated that the West seeks to impose its tutelage over Iran by interfering in its defense and nuclear affairs, emphasizing that Iran’s missiles are a sovereign matter that concerns no one else.
During a speech at a conference in Tehran, Larijani noted that although the West had been Iran’s main trading partner for years after the revolution, it “still acts with a mentality of domination and coercion.” He argued that the nuclear issue was merely a pretext to wage political and economic warfare against the Iranian people.
Addressing Western countries, Larijani said: “What business do you have expressing opinions about our missile capabilities? This is a sovereign issue, and no foreign party is entitled to interfere.”
Larijani explained that the strength of the Iranian people and the resilience of its armed forces had forced enemies to reconsider their calculations and act rationally. He also pointed out that the wars the United States waged without UN Security Council authorization—and the chaos they left behind in the Middle East—eventually backfired on the U.S. and its allies. He added that Iran had not sent any messages to the United States seeking negotiations.
Larijani argued that the West “justifies its domination under the slogan of peace through strength and sacrifices morality for its interests,” whereas Iran has succeeded in maintaining balance by combining science and faith.
He concluded by saying that Iranian civilization “has never bowed to Western authority because it was founded on strength and independence,” stressing that Iran—through its history, culture, and sovereignty—will remain a pillar of balance in the region and will not allow anyone to impose conditions upon it.