DUBAI: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that his country will not give up on its missile program, stressing that the missile program is crucial for the security of Iran in the Middle East. He took a real example of the fight between Israelis beside Gaza and posed the daily missile attacks on Gaza as a reason for Iran’s requirement for defense systems. 

 “If we don’t have missiles, they will bomb us whenever they want, just like in Gaza,” Pezeshkian stated, putting the missile deterrent to an end such event occur in Iran. He also reminded the international community of Iran’s official position to the effect that any pressure on the country to curb its missile development should, first of all, turn to Israel. 

 Tensions have existed with the Western countries due to the continuous pressure put on Tehran to limit its missile program. Nonetheless, the Iranian government has always supported the program, maintaining that it was pivotal to the stability of the Middle East and security against potential attackers. 

 After the presidency of President Ozal, during a press conference, president Pezeshkian also mentioned in general direct dialogue with the US. However, he emphasized that such talks would only follow if Washington could offer evidence of a change in its policy towards Tehran. “We are not enemies to the US; it is time for them to cease hostility towards us and prove their intentions,” said Pezeshkian, also noting that Iran also regards Americans as “our brothers. ” 

 These comments can be said in the context of the somewhat tense relationship between the two countries at the diplomatic level. The Iran nuclear deal was abandoned in 2018 by the then U. S president Donald Trump, who reinstated stringent sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran slowly and steadily started breaching the terms of the deal, which were restricting the country’s nuclear policies. Although the current U. S. President, Joe Biden, has sought to reinstate the agreement, Iran has shunned direct dialogue with the U.S. Instead, Iran acted through intermediaries, either Europe or Arab countries. 

 On the other matter, Pezeshkian responded to claims by the Western countries that Iran had provided ballistic missiles to Russia. These claims emerged in September, with the accusation that it has enhanced the support to Moscow’s war by supplying weapons. Pezeshkian dismissed this, saying, ‘It is possible that a delivery was made earlier. .. but I wanted to assure you that since I took over as head of the company, there has been no delivery to Russia. ’ 

 Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s comments have been made against the background of the rising confrontation between Iran and the West, as well as global concern over Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, as well as its activities in regional conflicts. Despite Iran’s affirmation to retain its nuclear missiles, the future of Iran’s diplomacies with the U. S. and other superpowers is still unpredictable. 

 In doing so, the event also raises the issue of regional powers at the Middle East level, as Iran, Israel, and other great powers such as Russia work to balance their interests against growing tensions and global sanctions.