IRGC Says No to Abandoning Ballistic Missile Program, Military Base Inspection

Commander of the Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Division says Brig.Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh, confirms the refusal of his forces to give up the development of the ballistic program in Qom Monday speech (Tasnim)
Commander of the Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Division says Brig.Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh, confirms the refusal of his forces to give up the development of the ballistic program in Qom Monday speech (Tasnim)
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IRGC Says No to Abandoning Ballistic Missile Program, Military Base Inspection

Commander of the Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Division says Brig.Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh, confirms the refusal of his forces to give up the development of the ballistic program in Qom Monday speech (Tasnim)
Commander of the Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Division says Brig.Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh, confirms the refusal of his forces to give up the development of the ballistic program in Qom Monday speech (Tasnim)

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani vowed on Monday that Tehran will end its nuclear obligations should the United States withdraw from the nuclear deal, while the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards refused to halt the cleric-led nation’s development of its ballistic program.

Commander of the Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Division says Brig.Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh said that Tehran will not stop boosting its missile capabilities under any circumstances, shrugging off US President Donald Trump’s call for constraints on Iran’s ballistic missile program.

Speaking at a cultural ceremony in the city of Qom on Monday, Brig.Gen.Hajizadeh said that “[even] if a wall is constructed all around the country, the production of missiles will not be halted because this is a completely indigenous and domestic industry,” he said.

The Iranian official’s remarks were made as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Washington will be working with allies to face threats posed by Tehran.

"We're going to work with our European partners and allies to see if we can't address these concerns," said Tillerson.

On the other hand, Brig.Gen.Hajizadeh pointed to Washington’s hostile approaches to Tehran and added that “the US enmity is an unchangeable issue and strategy. [Therefore,] its tactics may change but the strategy itself never changes.”

The IRGC commander was also cited as playing down concerns about a possible war against Iran, saying “this is the enemy’s psychological warfare and our country is so strong that no one will dare attack or confront the Islamic Republic.”

He emphasized that US statesmen were under the influence of Zionists blasting US policy as "dictated by the Zionists."

US President Donald Trump on October 13 refused to formally certify that Iran was complying with the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and warned that he might ultimately terminate the agreement.

While Trump did not pull Washington out of the nuclear deal, he gave the US Congress 60 days to decide whether to re-impose economic sanctions against Tehran that were lifted under the pact. Re-imposing sanctions would put the US at odds with other signatories to the accord and the European Union.

Trump also said his goal was to ensure Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon, adding: "We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more terror and the very real threat of Iran’s nuclear breakout."



Australia, Britain Sign 50-Year AUKUS Submarine Partnership Treaty

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) poses with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong (L), Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy (2nd-L), Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey (2nd-R) and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles (R) before the start of the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) meeting in Sydney on July 25, 2025. (AFP)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) poses with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong (L), Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy (2nd-L), Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey (2nd-R) and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles (R) before the start of the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) meeting in Sydney on July 25, 2025. (AFP)
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Australia, Britain Sign 50-Year AUKUS Submarine Partnership Treaty

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) poses with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong (L), Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy (2nd-L), Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey (2nd-R) and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles (R) before the start of the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) meeting in Sydney on July 25, 2025. (AFP)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) poses with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong (L), Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy (2nd-L), Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey (2nd-R) and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles (R) before the start of the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) meeting in Sydney on July 25, 2025. (AFP)

Australia’s government said on Saturday it signed a treaty with Britain to bolster cooperation over the next 50 years on the AUKUS nuclear submarine partnership.

The AUKUS pact, agreed upon by Australia, Britain and the US in 2021, aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the next decade to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. US President Donald Trump’s administration announced a formal review of the pact this year.

Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a statement that the bilateral treaty was signed with Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey on Saturday after a meeting in the city of Geelong, in Victoria state.

“The Geelong Treaty will enable comprehensive cooperation on the design, build, operation, sustainment, and disposal of our SSN-AUKUS submarines,” the statement said.

The treaty was a “commitment for the next 50 years of UK-Australian bilateral defense cooperation under AUKUS Pillar I,” it said, adding that it built on the “strong foundation” of trilateral AUKUS cooperation.

Britain’s ministry of defense said this week that the bilateral treaty would underpin the two allies’ submarine programs and was expected to be worth up to 20 billion pounds ($27.1 billion) for Britain in exports over the next 25 years.

AUKUS is Australia’s biggest-ever defense project, with Canberra committing to spend A$368 billion over three decades to the program, which includes billions of dollars of investment in the US production base.

Australia, which this month paid A$800 million to the US in the second instalment under AUKUS, has maintained it is confident the pact will proceed.

The defense and foreign ministers of Australia and Britain held talks on Friday in Sydney on boosting cooperation, coinciding with Australia’s largest war games.

As many as 40,000 troops from 19 countries are taking part in the Talisman Sabre exercises held from July 13 to August 4, which Australia’s military has said are a rehearsal for joint warfare to maintain Indo-Pacific stability.

Britain has significantly increased its participation in the exercise co-hosted by Australia and the United States, with aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales taking part this year.