On June 23, during a visit to Pakistan, Pezeshkian remarked, "If there were no missiles for defense, Israel and the U.S. would have trampled Iran like they did Gaza." He added, "Neither the elderly nor children would have received mercy," emphasizing, "We will not negotiate our defensive capabilities under any circumstances or with anyone."
Pezeshkian's comments came during his trip to Pakistan, which has played a mediating role as Tehran and Washington discuss a permanent resolution to the conflict in the region.
Before the war, the U.S. sought to include Iran's ballistic missile program and support for armed proxy groups in negotiations over Iran's nuclear activities. The discussions aimed to address not only nuclear issues but also long-range strike capabilities and support for regional armed organizations.
Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump made a more lenient statement regarding Iran's missile issue. At the G7 summit in France last week, he said, "If other countries have missiles, it seems a bit unfair for Iran not to have them."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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