‘Unrealistic’: Russia warns against expanding Iran talks beyond nuclear file

Russia has warned that any attempt to broaden talks with Iran beyond its nuclear program would render negotiations “unrealistic,” reinforcing Tehran’s insistence that its missile and defense capabilities are not up for discussion.

In a post on his X account on Monday, Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, shared remarks made by Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, stressing that negotiations should remain focused on the nuclear issue.  

“The talks should be devoted to nuclear issues only. Any attempt to extend the negotiations to regional security and missiles will make the whole exercise unrealistic," he wrote. 

Earlier on Monday, speaking at his weekly press conference, Baghaei said that Iran’s defense capabilities are purely deterrent and non-negotiable.

“The defensive capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran are designed to deter aggressors from thinking of attacking Iran and are by no means up for negotiation,” he noted.

He added that Iran has developed its missile program to defend its integrity.

He slammed the “blatant hypocrisy and double standards” vis-à-vis Iran’s missile program meant to portray it as a “threat”, adding that, at the same time, lethal weapons and even weapons of mass destruction are being funneled into the Israeli-occupied territories to be used in the regime's genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.

Iran: Defense power not up for talks; Armed Forces fully prepared to defend nation

Iran says its defensive capabilities are designed to defend the country

In a separate post on X on Monday, Ulyanov criticized former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who claimed that Iran is attempting to reconstitute its nuclear program.

“Apparently, the former Secretary of State does not know that under the NPT Iran has the inalienable right to maintain national nuclear program provided that it serves exclusively peaceful purposes,” he said.

Pompeo claimed on Monday that Iran is doing everything it can to revive its nuclear program, inciting Washington to impose "sustained pressure" on Tehran. 

Iran has repeatedly maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful and that its defense and missile capabilities are solely intended for deterrence.

The remarks from the hawkish former Washington official come at a moment when the US and Israel conducted direct military assaults against UN-safeguarded Iranian nuclear facilities back in June, in a gross violation of international law.

The aggression happened in the midst of indirect negotiations between Iran and the Trump administration, mediated by Oman.

Speaking earlier this month to Japan’s Kyodo News, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the United States has yet to show it was ready for “real, serious negotiation,” citing Washington’s refusal to recognize Iran’s rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, including enrichment.

He said Iran was prepared to accept limits on enrichment levels and centrifuge types. Talks could move forward, he added, once the United States recognizes Iran’s peaceful nuclear program and lifts illegal and unilateral sanctions.

“For the time being [though], we are not convinced they are ready for a real, serious negotiation,” Araghchi said.

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