Iran rejects limits on missile power, stresses enrichment on own soil

Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations says the Islamic Republic will not acquiesce to any restrictions imposed on its missile power.

News ID: ۲۰۰۱۵۱۴

29 June 2025

"Iran will not accept any restrictions on its missile activities. The recent aggression demonstrated clearly that without Iran’s military capabilities, the other side would never have been compelled to request a ceasefire," Amir Saeid Iravani said in an interview with Al-Monitor news website on Friday.

"One of the key reasons a ceasefire has not been observed in Gaza — or has not been enforced by the occupying regime in Lebanon — is that the retaliatory power of the resistance groups has not yet reached a level sufficient to bring the real heat on the regime or make it vulnerable," he said.

"By contrast, Iran’s forceful military response inflicted serious pain on the regime’s social, political and economic sections," Iravani added.

The Iranian ambassador touched on US President Donald Trump's acknowledgement that the damage inflicted on Israel was "so severe, in fact, that it became one of the decisive factors prompting the regime to request that the United States expedite a ceasefire".

"Therefore, Iran will never agree to relinquish such an effective strategic lever, nor will it allow itself to be disarmed in the face of potential future attacks," Iravani said.

Iravani also affirmed Iran's determination to continue its enrichment activities within its borders as he stressed Tehran’s readiness to address global concerns about its peaceful nuclear program and uranium enrichment activities under the principles enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

“Iran has consistently sought a peaceful solution to address any potential concerns regarding its nuclear program. What is essential is that Iran’s rights as a responsible member of the NPT are properly recognized. We seek no more and no less than the rights granted to any other NPT member,” Iravani said.

The Iranian envoy added that the Islamic Republic is open to a regional nuclear consortium discussed during the last round of indirect US-Iran talks and is ready for any nuclear-related cooperation across the region as “a consortium could very well be one of the forms such cooperation might take.”

Iravani said Tehran is willing to “collaborate with all countries in our region that operate nuclear reactors — whether on issues of reactor safety or the supply of reactor fuel,” provided that such a move is a “complementary initiative” and not a substitute for Iran’s domestic nuclear program.

“Iran still insists that enrichment must be carried out on its own soil. A consortium might serve as a supplement to our nuclear program, but it is by no means a substitute for it,” he said.

“We would be prepared to transfer our stockpiles of 60% and 20% enriched uranium to another country and have them transferred out of Iranian territory in return for receiving yellowcake.”

Asked if Iran would limit enrichment to the auspices of the consortium operating within Iran, Iravani told the news outlet, “In principle, we have no objection to that; however, we should consider it based on the details of any potential proposals we receive.”

The top diplomat also told Al-Monitor that the Iranian Parliament’s recent move to bar cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “does not signify Iran’s withdrawal from the NPT.”

Iravani also stressed that any possible nuclear deal with the United States must respect “Iran’s rights as a responsible NPT member.”

Media reports said US West Asia envoy Steve Witkoff had proposed to Tehran in talks preceding the Israeli-US aggression on June 13 the creation of a nuclear consortium potentially including Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and the United States.

The arrangement reportedly aimed to supply Iran with enriched uranium for “civilian” use in exchange for partial sanctions relief on the country’s oil exports, central bank, and the shipping sector.

The Israeli regime waged on June 13 an unprovoked war of aggression against Iran by carrying out airstrikes on the country’s nuclear, military, and residential sites that resulted in the martyrdom of over 600 people, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians.

The Iranian military forces started counterattacks immediately afterwards, with the Armed Forces and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) conducting 22 waves of retaliatory missile strikes against the illegal entity as part of Operation True Promise III that inflicted heavy losses on cities across the occupied territories.

The usurping regime was forced to agree to a US-proposed unilateral ceasefire on June 24 to bring the fighting to a halt and stave off further losses to its dilapidated infrastructure.

Before the unilateral declaration, the US had unlawfully bombed three main Iranian nuclear facilities of Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan with bunker-buster payloads and claimed that the sites had been “totally obliterated.”

Iranian officials underscored in their remarks after the Israeli-US onslaught that Iran’s nuclear industry is deeply entrenched in the country’s scientific and technological infrastructure and cannot be dismantled by enemies./isna