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Larijani has said that Iranian leaders have never been hostile toward the West, but Western political and security behavior has led to a crisis in cooperation. In your view, what have been the most damaging actions, and how can Iran overcome them?
One of the most damaging actions was the Western decision to trigger the “snapback” mechanism at a time when they themselves were at fault. That was a clear act of bullying. Saying that Iran must not pursue uranium enrichment is another example of coercion. Enforcing US sanctions against Iran when the country was meeting its commitments is yet another.
The West wants Iran to raise its hands in submission, to fall in line with their demands, but Iran refuses to give in to such pressure. Ultimately, the Western sides will suffer themselves. For instance, when they imposed sanctions on Iran, French and German car manufacturers lost substantial business opportunities.
According to Larijani, Iran’s leadership has no issue with economic interaction with the West, yet the West uses economic cooperation as a pretext to interfere in Iran’s missile range or nuclear capabilities. Given this attitude, how can Iran manage its economic engagement with the West while protecting national interests?
Iran will never cross its red lines or adjust the range of its missiles to satisfy Western preferences. After the JCPOA (the 2015 nuclear deal), countries such as France came forward to invest in Iran’s oil sector and expand technical cooperation, but they later backed off. They should not have mixed up economic cooperation with political matters.
The range of Iran’s missiles corresponds directly to the threats it faces. When American officials openly state that they stood behind Israel in preparing attacks on Iran during the 12-day war, Iran was clearly under threat. The US cannot threaten Iran and then expect it to limit its missile range to 300 kilometers. Iran is obliged to enhance its defense capabilities in proportion to the level of threat, and all its military development is defensive in nature.
Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has never attacked another country; it was Iraq, backed by Western powers, that invaded Iran, and Tehran only responded. When Israel attacked in June, Iran replied in kind. The missile range is determined solely by the scale of threats.
The current economic separation between Iran and the West will persist as long as Europeans and Western governments refuse to talk to Iran based on justice and equality. Once they are ready to hold fair and balanced discussions without bullying, then constructive engagement will be possible. Also, international organizations, unfortunately, have become puppets in Western hands, and Iran has no illusions about them to help a reconciliation. What needs to change is the West’s behavior itself.