Editors' note
Ayatollah Khamenei responded to the recent statements and actions of Western countries, meant to put pressure on the Islamic Republic, regarding Iran's defensive power during his visit to Imam Ali (as) Army Academy on October 3rd. He emphasized that these issues (defensive measures) were none of their business and were by no means negotiable.
"Here, some points need close attention: the intentions of countries involved in negotiating and the various underlying meanings a negotiation can have. Regarding the country's defense capabilities, there is a consensus among the country's authorities, political elites, and the Iranian people that negotiation of Iran's defensive issues--either if it is understood to mean a "deal," i.e. giving or receiving a licence about an issue, or an "ultimatum,"--is complete nonsense. Especially, when considering the situation in the region, the ceaseless threats of the enemies against the Islamic Republic, and the accumulated experience of recent decades, any retreat in this area would mean reducing the country's defensive capabilities--disarming Iran against the invasions of others and removing Iran's superior hand in the region."
What the Leader of the Revolution revealed, at the Imam Ali (as) Army Academy, is that he does not deem negotiations on the country's defense capabilities, at any level, proper with any country.
What the Iranian president has been saying recently about the "meaninglessness of a renegotiation with an unreliable America," can also be studied here. It is clear that the Islamic Republic, regardless of the party with whom it negotiates, basically does not regard its defense capabilities as negotiable. This is the position that Mr. Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, has repeatedly referred to: he has called the issue of missile defense and other issues related to the country's defense capabilities non-negotiable.