IRGC: Military Capabilities a ‘Red Line’

Date: 15 April 2025 - 22:25

News ID: ۱۳۸۵۴۶

TEHRAN -- A spokesman
for Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Tuesday that Iranian military capabilities are a “red line” in the nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington that began over the weekend.
Iran’s military and defense capabilities are “out of the question” and “will never be subject to negotiations,” said IRGC spokesperson General Ali Muhammad Naeini, describing Tehran’s two ballistic missile attacks against Israel in April and October 2024 as a clear manifestation of the Iranian armed forces’ serious resolve to protect the national interests.”
The operations “displayed Iran’s initiative and asymmetric offensive capability to strike the Zionist enemy and was the first direct and public military confrontation between the Islamic Republic and the Zionist regime,” he added.
National security and military power are Iran’s “red lines” and “under no circumstances” will be discussed, Naeini went on to say.
Indirect talks between Washington and Tehran on the Iranian nuclear program began in Oman on Saturday.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with a bombing campaign if a deal is not reached, while maintaining his “maximum pressure” policy of sanctions against Tehran.
Iran insists that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful. It has also stressed that the talks with Washington focus solely

on the nuclear issue and the removal of U.S. sanctions, and has repeatedly rejected negotiations regarding any of its defense capabilities, such as its ballistic missile program.

U.S. envoy to the region Steve Witkoff told Fox News on Monday that the talks will focus on U.S. demands for oversight on Iranian uranium enrichment.

“[Iran] does not need to enrich past 3.67 percent. In some circumstances, they’re at 60 percent, in other circumstances 20 percent. That cannot be … You do not need to run – as they claim – a civil nuclear program where you’re enriching past 3.67 percent,” Witkoff said.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that negotiations with the U.S. will continue indirectly, and called on Washington to stop taking “contradictory” positions by calling for direct talks and at the same time maintaining sanctions and threats against Iran.

The next round of U.S.–Iran talks will be held on April 19, and will again be hosted by Oman, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, according to IRNA.