Key takeaway: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated that the regime will not “haggle” over its ballistic missile program.
Khamenei stressed that Iran’s “defense capabilities” - such as its missile program - are “not open to negotiations and bargaining.” Iran’s missile program, along with other capabilities such as the network of Hezbollah, Iraqi Shia militias, and other proxies and partners the regime calls the “Axis of Resistance,” have long formed the basis of Iran’s national security doctrine. Khamenei’s comments come amidst renewed international debate regarding the role of the ballistic missile program and the Axis of Resistance in Iran’s destabilizing regional activities.
This Iran News Round Up predominantly covers events from October 25.
Iran reopens border crossing with Iraqi Kurdistan.
Marivan County’s Bureau of Customs announced the reopening of the Bashmagh border crossing with Iraqi Kurdistan on October 25. The Bashmagh border crossing, near Marivan in Iran’s Kurdistan Province, was among three different crossings that Iran had closed with Iraqi Kurdistan following the Iraqi government’s seizure of Kirkuk on October 15. Iran’s Parviz Khan (near Qasr-e Shirin, Kermanshah Province) and Tamrchin (near Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province) border crossings with northern Iraq remain closed. (Mehr News Agency) (Reuters) (E)
Citations & Links
Reuters Mehr News AgencyEDC Secretary: KRG head was right to freeze independence referendum results.
Expediency Discernment Council (EDC) Secretary Mohsen Rezaei stated that Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani made a “wise choice” by returning “to the framework of the Iraqi constitution” in a message on his Instagram account on October 25. Rezaei’s remarks are likely in reference to Barzani’s proposal to suspend the results of the September 25 Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum, where Iraqi Kurds overwhelmingly voted in favor of independence. The concession will prompt diplomatic negotiations between Erbil and Baghdad following weeks of tension between the Iraqi government and Iraqi Kurdistan. (Instagram) (Mehr News Agency) (Wall Street Journal) (E)
Citations & Links
Wall Street Journal Mehr News Agency InstagramKhamenei: Iran will not “haggle” over its ballistic missile program.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei discussed the importance of maintaining Iranian national strength by establishing security and pursuing a self-sufficient, non-oil economy. Khamenei reiterated that Iran’s “defense capabilities” - such as its ballistic missile program - are “not open to negotiations and bargaining, and we will not engage in any haggling or make any deal with the enemy on the country’s defensive means.” Khamenei made these remarks during a graduation ceremony for Artesh officers at the Imam Ali Military Academy in Tehran on October 25. (Khamenei.ir)
Citations & Links
Khamenei.irAmerica needs a new strategy to deter Iran’s destabilizing behavior.
Marie Donovan breaks down why a new strategy for dealing with Iran’s destabilizing behavior is necessary in “America needs a new strategy to deter Iran’s destabilizing behavior.”
Confusion over the Iran deal.
Fred Kagan clarifies common points of confusion regarding the Trump administration’s decision on the nuclear deal in “Confusion over the Iran deal.”