The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani implicitly linked diplomatic efforts at the Vienna talks for reviving the nuclear agreement, and the Revolutionary Guards adopting a “ballistic missile” attack on Erbil against what Tehran labeled as “Israeli centers.”
Shamkhani pointed to Iran using both the field and diplomacy to intelligently defend its interests and national security.
“Relying on Western or Eastern powers will neither guarantee our rights nor our security,” tweeted Shamkhani.
In the statements of Iranian officials, the “field” refers to the activities of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, especially the role played by the organization’s regional arm, the Quds Force.
Last April, a leaked audio recording of former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif exposed the absence of a balance between the Guards’ activities and the work of Iran’s foreign ministry.
Shamkhani made the remarks amid a major escalation of tensions in the Middle East. Iran launched a dozen ballistic missiles at Erbil on Sunday and Russia has thrown a wrench in the Vienna talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.
In the tweet, Shamkhani was implicitly referring to the Russian position at the Vienna negotiations although Iranian officials had avoided blaming Moscow. Iranians, instead, continued to blame the US.
On many occasions, Shamkhani defended Iran's rapprochement with Russia and China under its "heading east" strategy, which Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei wants as an alternative to the policy of openness to the West, as part of a long-term plan aimed at confronting US sanctions.
As for the Vienna talks, France, Britain, and Germany issued a warning to Russia on Saturday.
A joint statement of the three countries stressed that “no one should try to exploit the negotiations of the nuclear agreement to obtain assurances separate from the plan,” noting that “this threatens the collapse of the agreement.”
The statement added that the agreement on the table must be concluded with urgency.
