PARIS: Iran on Wednesday (Feb 24) dismissed US claims about its missile programme as “huge lies”, after President Donald Trump stated Tehran was creating missiles that might strike america.
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump accused Tehran of “sinister nuclear ambitions” as Washington ups the stress with an enormous army deployment across the Gulf.
The 2 foes are scheduled to satisfy for a 3rd spherical of talks on Thursday within the Swiss metropolis of Geneva in an effort to succeed in a diplomatic answer.
Trump claimed Tehran had “already developed missiles that may threaten Europe and our bases abroad, and so they’re working to construct missiles that may quickly attain america of America”.
He stated Iran needs “to begin yet again” with its nuclear programme and is “at this second once more pursuing their sinister nuclear ambitions”.
However Iranian overseas ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei on Wednesday refuted these claims, with out mentioning Trump straight.
“No matter they’re alleging with reference to Iran’s nuclear programme, Iran’s ballistic missiles, and the variety of casualties throughout January’s unrest, is just the repetition of ‘huge lies’,” he stated on X.
The US president had additionally claimed that Iranian authorities killed 32,000 folks throughout a wave of protests that began in December and peaked on Jan 8 and 9.
The West believes Iran is searching for an atomic bomb, however Tehran insists its nuclear programme is peaceable. Trump has threatened to launch strikes on Iran if no deal is reached.
Tehran has repeatedly stated it might reply firmly to any assault, warning that even a restricted strike “could be thought to be an act of aggression”.
“My choice is to resolve this downside via diplomacy however one factor is for certain: I’ll by no means permit the world’s primary sponsor of terror, which they’re by far, to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump stated.
Hours earlier than his speech, Iran’s overseas minister Abbas Araghchi declared {that a} deal to keep away from a army conflict was inside attain.
“We’ve got a historic alternative to strike an unprecedented settlement that addresses mutual considerations and achieves mutual pursuits,” Araghchi stated in a social media put up, including {that a} deal was “inside attain, however provided that diplomacy is given precedence”.
Araghchi vowed Iran will “not at all ever develop a nuclear weapon”, however insisted on the nation’s proper to “harness dividends of peaceable nuclear expertise”.
Iran and the US held 5 rounds of nuclear talks final 12 months however these negotiations ended after Israel’s unprecedented assault on Iran triggered a 12-day conflict.
