Iran’s DM Hits Back at US Counterpart’s Talk of Military Option

(Tasnim) – Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan denounced the comments made by US defense secretary who spoke in favor of military force as a viable option in dealing with Iran, saying such “worthless” remarks have no bearing on Tehran’s logical stand on nuclear talks.

“Such comments by the American officials, while the sensitive and complicated nuclear negotiations are in progress… are meant to affect the logical atmosphere of the talks,” Dehqan said.

He made the comments in reaction to US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter who referred to military action as a viable option if a long-awaited nuclear deal cannot be reached.

In a Tuesday interview with NBC, Carter said that if the US, Iran and the five other nations involved in the talks cannot strike a deal, then “the military option certainly will remain on the table.”

In response, Dehqan underlined that Iran is ready to “counter any hostile threat” in practice.

He explained that such comments show why Iran mistrusts the US, but made it clear that the rhetoric will never undermine Iran’s “logical and fair” positions in the talks with world powers.

Carter seems to be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, Dehqan noted, adding, “If Ashton Carter recalled America’s previous and recent defeats in the region and the world, he would refrain from making such hollow comments.”

Since a week ago, negotiators and senior diplomats from Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) have been working in the Swiss city of Lausanne on a long-awaited agreement on Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program.