TEHRAN - Ali Akbar Velayati, a top foreign policy adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, said on Saturday that Iran’s defense program has nothing to do with any other country including France.

“Defensive preparedness is among basic rights of any nation. No country can decide for us or others. It is the Islamic Republic of Iran who should decide on the type of missile it can possess,” Velayati told reporters after a meeting with Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Takeo Mori in Tehran.

His comments came as French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is scheduled to visit Iran this week.

Velayati noted that the French foreign minister should avoid adopting negative position against Iran if he seeks expansion of relations between Tehran and Paris.

He added Iran will not let interference in its affairs.

Le Drian’s trip was scheduled to take place in January 2018 but it was postponed for some reasons.

French President Emmanuel Macron said in February that the international community needs “to put Iran under surveillance over its ballistic missiles”.

“It’s indispensable for the security of the region and so we need a mechanism of sanctions and control adapted to that,” he claimed.

In remarks on Saturday, General Massoud Jazayeri, Iran’s deputy military chief, said Tehran will not negotiate on its missile program unless the West abandons its long range missiles and nuclear weapons.
 
NA/PA