Iran Remains Defiant After Test-Firing Two Long Range Missiles

Iran remains defiant in the face of growing Western pressure over its budding nuclear program. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with the BBC’s Mohsen Asgari in Tehran about the latest news that Iran test-fired two long range missiles and has produced that country’s first nuclear fuel rods.

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Marco Werman: I’m Marco Werman, this is The World. Tensions between Tehran and the west continue to rise. Iran concluded 10 days of war games in the Persian Gulf today, but not before firing off two long ranges missiles. Iran’s pushing back against US sanctions on its central bank. Those sanctions were prompted by Iran’s refusal to halt its uranium enrichment program. Iran is widely being seen as flexing its military muscle right now as a potential precursor to shutting down the Strait of Hormuz. Twenty percent of the world’s oil passes through the strait. The BBC’s Mohsen Asgari joins us from Tehran. Mohsen, why is Iran holding these missile tests now?

Mohsen Asgari: The timing is quite interesting because these military exercises are taking place exactly at the time that the west and particularly America is increasing the pressures over Iran and particularly Iran’s economy. Iran is trying to send various messages to the outside world to say that on the one hand it is ready to defend itself in one way or another, and on the other side of the story we can hear that Iranian top nuclear negotiators have sent letters or are going to send letters to the 5-plus-1 countries to set the stage for the fresh round of nuclear talks in order to decrease tensions.

Werman: I also want to ask you Mohsen about another troubling bit of news out of Iran, at least as far as the west is concerned.

Iranian TV Announcer: [speaking Arabic]

Werman: Now, this announcement on Iranian state-controlled TV is saying that researchers have produced Iran’s first nuclear fuel rods. The announcer is saying here that the rods have been inserted into the core of Tehran’s research nuclear reactor. Mohsen, is this a big step in Iranian nuclear technology?

Asgari: Potentially it’s a bigger step for Iran and also it can raise a lot of concerns on the western side, but it is exactly an incarnation of the same policy to increase Iran’s bargaining power in the run up to the new round of nuclear negotiations. And on the other side of this story Iran wants to say that it has progressed enough in nuclear activities so it cannot hold uranium enrichment or it cannot change its policy.

Werman: I mean for the west this news about the nuclear fuel rods will be provocative. How are Iranians reacting to all of this? I mean it can all be kind of contained under the heading Save a Rattling, I mean they know how these national actions and the back and forth can escalate.

Asgari: That’s right, Iran has adopted a strategy of carrot on a stick; on the one side they sent letter to the west announcing that they are read to sit on the negotiating table, to talk about nuclear tensions, and on the other side Iran is trying to show its power on testing missiles and also on nuclear activities and the progress that it has achieved through nuclear activities.

Werman: Is all this making common Iranians nervous?

Asgari: Common Iranians they are upset with their economic problems at the moment. They know that the sanctions have caused a lot of problems for them. They have heard about nuclear activities and they understood this story from this angle of vision that the west is against Iran’s progress. This is what is advertised on and off on Iran’s state TV. So they are obsessed with their economic problems because inflation rate is going up, unemployment is torturing. They are obsessed with these problems and they don’t pay attention to military exercise or these uranium enrichment at first in the same way that the western people may look at it.

Werman: So the economy is what’s dominating the lives of most Iranians right now is what you’re saying. How bad is it?

Asgari: It is bad because Mr. Ahmadinejad, Iran’s president, has cut all the subsidies that used to be allocated for electricity, petrol and bread, so when they cut these subsidies they put huge pressure on the people and especially on the working class of the society because the salary of these people has not increased, but the price of goods and cost of life has drastically increased. So the people if you come to Tehran’s streets, you’ll see that people are working three shifts in a day and they are looking for ways to earn more money you know, for their families. And it is interesting that the fluctuation of foreign exchange rate in Iran has become a huge story these days. People are rushing to banks and foreign exchange centers in order to buy US dollar, keep those US dollars in order to sell it at a higher rate later. So these are not the signs that shows that Iran’s economy is suffering from bad diseases these days.

Werman: The BBC’s Mohsen Asgari speaking with us from Tehran, thank you very much indeed.

Asgari: My pleasure.

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