Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Thursday that Tehran will not bow to pressure to reduce its defensive power, regional presence and progress in nuclear technology, Iranian state media reported.
“Suggestions to reduce our defensive power so as to appease the enemy are nothing more than naive and ill-advised. Over time, these flawed proposals have been rebutted, but if they weren’t, Iran would have now faced great threats,” the country's top political authority said according to state media.
“Regional presence gives us strategic depth and more power," Khamenei said.
"Why should we give it up? Scientific progress in the nuclear field is related to our future needs, and if we give that up, will anyone help us in the future?” he added.
Iran on Thursday called on the United States to drop "unacceptable proposals" in the talks on the nuclear deal, while Russia's demands for guarantees from Washington have complicated efforts to close an agreement.
