Iran won't allow defense doctrine undermined: Pundit

Press TV has conducted an interview with Mohammad Hassan Khani, professor at Imam Sadiq University in Tehran, about the remarks by Iran’s defense minister that Tehran will not allow international inspections of any sites beyond the requirements of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

What follows is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Talk to us about the recent statements made by Iran’s defense minister regarding cooperation with the IAEA, and of course, highlighting the issue of inspections?

Khani: Well during this post-deal era in which Iran and the IAEA has entered a new phase of their relationship, it seems to be there are challenges ahead and both sides should be well aware of that, especially the IAEA.

It has been very clear from the beginning that Iran is very sensitive when it comes to its defense capability, when it comes to, somehow, its military power and those things related to these issues. So it is very difficult to imagine that Iran will accept a kind of open access to its military bases just on the pretext by the Americans or other powers that there should be or could be a kind of possible military dimension of the Iranian nuclear activity.

So this issue remains still, in my view, one of the challenges and one of the sensitive issues that can be a matter of controversy between two sides, but as we heard from the Iranian defense minister, it seems that Iran has not changed its policy and will not allow that its somehow defense doctrine be undermined by any compromise in this sense.

Press TV: Well the Iranian defense minister also touched upon the United States’ actions within the region. He said that the US attempts to expand its power and attain a position of hegemony in the region through its staunch ally - the Israeli regime. Talk to us about that as well. 

Khani: Well again it is not something new. What I call it the hegemonic behavior of the United States has been a matter of tension between Iran and the United States during the past three decades. The best way to somehow settle the differences between Iran, as a regional power, and the United States, as a global power, is somehow two sides respect each other and recognize each others' interests and security concerns including that of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

So if the United States pursues the old policy of the hegemonic tendencies, that would be very difficult again to imagine that how Iran can cope with that. So recognizing Iran as a regional power, recognizing the Iranian legitimate security concerns, is the precondition for any settlement between Iran and the United States, and if that happens, that could be the beginning of a normalization between Iran and the US.

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