Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reacting to reports about a focus on Tehran’s missile program during the upcoming meeting between the Israeli prime minister and the U.S. president and the possibility of another attack on Iran, stated that the regime’s missile capability is “non-negotiable.”
Baghaei said at a press conference on Monday, December 22, that the Iranian regime’s missile program was developed with the aim of “defending national security” and, therefore, is not a subject for “negotiation or bargaining.”
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He added that these capabilities were formed to prevent “any potential aggression” and are “inviolable.”
Referring to speculation about another attack on Iran, the foreign ministry spokesperson added: “Media hype is part of a hybrid war designed against Iran. Nevertheless, the country’s armed forces, with full readiness, know their duties well.”
On December 21, during a visit to Israel, Lindsey Graham, a Republican U.S. senator, said there was evidence indicating efforts by the Iranian regime to enrich uranium and revive its missile program.
He added that if this is confirmed, Iran should be attacked before it is implemented.
NBC News reported on December 20 that Israeli officials believe the Iranian regime is expanding its ballistic missile program and intend, during the upcoming meeting between Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, and U.S. President Donald Trump, to present options for Washington to join or assist Israel in a potential attack on Iran.
Axios wrote on December 21 that the Netanyahu government warned the United States about an IRGC missile exercise, describing it as “a cover for preparing” a potential attack on Israel.
Baghaei rules out inspections of bombed facilities
Continuing his remarks, the Iranian regime’s foreign ministry spokesperson rejected reports about Tehran’s role in the killing of Nuno Loureiro, a Jewish nuclear scientist, in the United States, saying: “Criminals assume everyone follows their own creed.”
The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on December 17, 2025, that Israeli officials were examining information about a possible link between Iran’s regime and the killing of this senior nuclear scientist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
At the same press conference, Baghaei also addressed the outlook for relations between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency and recent remarks by Rafael Grossi, the agency’s director general, regarding the Iranian regime’s obstruction of inspections of bombed Iranian facilities.
He said: “There is no reason for a crisis to form, because the matter is clear: as long as we are a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and committed to the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, we know well how to implement our obligations.”
Grossi said in an interview with the Russian news agency RIA Novosti on December 15 that the agency’s activities in Iran are very limited and inspectors only have access to facilities that have not been targeted by U.S. and Israeli attacks.
He also rejected Tehran’s narrative on December 20 that these sites are “unsafe” and inaccessible.
Baghaei continued that there is no “protocol” regarding how to inspect damaged facilities and that Grossi’s insistence on inspecting the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan sites shows he is “seeking political exploitation” of the issue.
Criticizing the agency’s stance, he added: “Over a long period, we had the highest number of inspections by the agency, but they did not fulfill their responsibilities and had no reaction against the United States and Israel regarding their actions against Iran’s nuclear facilities.”
On December 8, Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian regime’s foreign minister, said that resuming agency inspections is currently not possible because there is “no protocol or guideline” for inspecting facilities he described as “peaceful.”
Grossi had previously confirmed that Tehran still possesses the capacity to build a nuclear weapon.
On May 31, before the war, the International Atomic Energy Agency stated in a confidential report that Iran had carried out clandestine nuclear activities at three locations that have long been under investigation.
The Ynet news website reported on December 19 that before the 12-day war, the Iranian regime had been researching the development of fourth-generation nuclear weapons based on pure fusion.
According to the report, this research concerned a completely new type of nuclear weapon that no country has so far succeeded in producing.
