Steven Emerson, Executive Director March 19, 2018 Articles by IPT |  IPT in the News |  IPT Blog |  Profiles |  Multimedia |  Donate |  Contact Us Defiant Iran Rejects Changes to Nuclear Deal and its Missile Program by IPT News  •  Mar 19, 2018 at 9:58 am https://www.investigativeproject.org/7376/defiant-iran-rejects-changes-to-nuclear-deal Print Send RSS Share: Be the first of your friends to like this. Iran has flat out rejected any efforts to renegotiate the nuclear agreement, amid reports of European efforts to constrain Iran's regional expansion and ballistic missile program. Speaking in Tehran earlier this month, Ayatollah Khamenei proclaimed that Europe and the United States have no right to discuss Iran's regional posture, according Dr. Raz Zimmt's latest report for the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. The region, Khamenei said in the same speech, belongs to Iran, not Europe. The European Union reportedly is mulling new sanctions over non-nuclear related activities in an effort to keep the United States from terminating the nuclear agreement. In response, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said that Iran "will not accept any changes, any interpretation or new measure aimed at limiting" the 2015 nuclear deal. "The ballistic program of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has a defensive nature, will steadfastly continue," said Shamkhani. The senior Iranian official is also close to the supreme leader Khamenei. Iran's foreign minister rejected his French counterpart's call to reign in Iran's missile program after a meeting in Tehran earlier this month intended to preserve the nuclear agreement. Click here for to access the full Meir Amit Center report, which also covers other notable Iran-related developments this month. For example, during a March 4 conference, a senior military adviser to the ayatollah called on the Syrian military to force U.S. troops out from the Euphrates Valley. That same day, a photo of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qasem Soleimani and Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a recent meeting surfaced on social media. Nasrallah has been meeting with high profile terrorist leaders in recent months in a sign of growing cooperation with sworn enemies of Israel. Hizballah's devotion to Iran's revolutionary ideology takes precedence over Lebanon's constitution, Nasrallah said in a March 10 speech delivered to Iranians in Lebanon. Nasrallah reiterated that Hizballah adheres to Khamenei's orders and avoids engaging in any behavior that irritates the supreme leader. While Hizballah claims to be Lebanon's protector and vanguard, the speech reaffirms Hizballah's primary commitment to carrying out Iran's directives, even at the expense of Lebanese domestic interests. These recent developments show that Iran and its proxies remain defiant in the face of international pressure to cease its destabilizing regional activities, while refusing to consider any alternative to the current nuclear agreement. Related Topics: IPT News, Iran, nuclear agreement, Hizballah, Ayatollah Khamenei, Hassan Nasrallah, Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, ballistic missiles, Ali Shamkhani, IRGC, Qasem Soleimani The IPT accepts no funding from outside the United States, or from any governmental agency or political or religious institutions. Your support of The Investigative Project on Terrorism is critical in winning a battle we cannot afford to lose. All donations are tax-deductible. Click here to donate online. The Investigative Project on Terrorism Foundation is a recognized 501(c)3 organization.   To subscribe: http://www.investigativeproject.org/list_subscribe.php The Investigative Project on Terrorism 202-363-8602 - main 202-966-5191 - fax