TEHRAN - Ali Akbar Velayati, the top aid to the Supreme Leader, has said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s remarks about Iran’s missile program are simply “absurd.” The official said the remarks in a TV program on Saturday.

he official said the remarks in a TV program on Saturday.
Velayati’s remarks came after Kerry had said the U.S. is open to negotiations with Iran about the country’s missile program.
“There will be no compromise over defense issues and as the late Imam Khomeini noted, if we take one step back, they take a hundred of steps forward. But the Islamic Republic pays no heed to their threats and remarks and their infiltration dream into Iran won’t come true,” Velayati was quoted as saying.

--- ‘Assad ouster is our redline’

The veteran politician said Iran has been supporting the Syrian government at the request of President Beshar al-Assad.

“At the Syrian president’s request, Iran is helping the government, whose legitimacy is recognized by the UN and its representative is attending the body, to battle terrorists,” Velayati said.

The trained pediatrician laid emphasis on backing the Assad government, saying that no one can defend territorial integrity of Syrian better than Assad as he stood firm in defending his country even when terrorist worriers were only hundreds of meters away from his residence.
“The U.S. officials say that Bashar Assad should leave, but Assad should remain in power as Syria's legal president until the end of his presidential term and that is our redline," Velayati remarked.
He underscored that it is “Iran’s redline” that Assad should stay in power because it is the Syrian people who have the right to determine their country’s fate.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the former foreign minister referred to the U.S. dual approach to Iran, saying Washington calls Iran a supporter of terrorism and simultaneously invites the country to battle terrorism.
“The U.S. deployed thousands of soldiers in Iraq to rule the country and exercised all their power in the region to topple Syria. But, Iran helped the resistance front and stood up to terrorists’ offensives, inflicting heavy failures on the U.S. allies such as Daesh. This brought Americans to the negotiation table.”

---- ‘Russia ready to sell Su-30 fighters to Iran’
Also, Velayati pointed to Iran-Russia ties, saying, “Both of us have common concerns and are exposed to threats. On the other hand, as two Asian countries, Iran and Russia have maritime borders in the Caspian Sea and the two countries’ cooperation in Syria indicated that we have close strategic ties.”
On if Russians are reliable friends and the country’s withdrawal of forces from Syria, Velayati noted that Iran has its own national interests, seeking ties with every country which works towards this and does not meddle in Iran’s domestic affairs.
“Some European countries avoid giving us even a gun, but Russia is ready to sell Su-30 fighters to Iran.”
Also, on the S-300 deal, Velayti stated that the deal will certainly will take effect though it may take time.
“We will fulfill all our commitments to Iran,” Velayati quoted President Putin as saying in a meeting with him recently.

AK/PA