Pezeshkian: Without Missiles, Iran Would Be Destroyed Like Gaza by US and Israel

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that without possessing missile weapons, his country would end up like Gaza, bombarded by the United States and Israel. Pezeshkian emphasised that his nation’s ballistic missile programme is non-negotiable.

“If the missiles we possess for our defence were not there, Israel and the United States would destroy Iran like Gaza, showing no mercy to the old or the young,” he said during a visit to Pakistan, a primary mediator in talks between Tehran and Washington seeking a permanent end to the Middle East war, as reported by AFP on Wednesday (24/06/2026).

“We will never negotiate with anyone, under any circumstances, regarding our defensive capabilities,” he added.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that the preliminary agreement signed by the US and Iran, alongside mediating parties, does not mention ballistic missiles.

“There must be no double standards… that some countries can possess ballistic missiles and Iran should not. You cannot accept this hypocrisy,” said Sharif.

Tehran has launched hundreds of missiles and thousands of drones at neighbouring Gulf nations and Israel during the war triggered by joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Iran’s missiles were originally developed to compensate for its weak air defences during the war with Iraq in the 1980s, and since then, their range and accuracy have continuously improved.

Israel, located 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) from Iran, has long viewed the programme as an existential threat.

Prior to the war, the United States had sought to include the ballistic missile programme, as well as Tehran’s support for armed proxies, in negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear activities.

In recent days, US President Donald Trump appears to have softened his stance on the missile issue.

“I say that if other countries have them, it is somewhat unfair if they do not,” he said last week at the G7 Summit in France.