Tehran Outraged at US Pledge to Obstruct its Weapons Program

Suicide drones displayed during a ceremony in Iran on Thursday (AP)
Suicide drones displayed during a ceremony in Iran on Thursday (AP)
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Tehran Outraged at US Pledge to Obstruct its Weapons Program

Suicide drones displayed during a ceremony in Iran on Thursday (AP)
Suicide drones displayed during a ceremony in Iran on Thursday (AP)

Tehran has expressed outrage at US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s pledge to obstruct Iran’s arms purchases, describing it as “provocative” and an attempt to “stir up differences” between countries in the region.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that Iran’s military program was “merely for defense and deterrence”, and not against any country that does not intend to attack Iran.

On Thursday, Blinken pledged to obstruct Iran’s quest to engage in the arms market, accusing Tehran of “destabilization” attempts.

He was referring to a new set of sanctions imposed last Wednesday by the US administration on an international network of companies that are circumventing sanctions aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining spare parts for drones.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman criticized the US sanctions, saying: “The provocative statements of the US Secretary of State regarding the Iranian military program aim to continue marketing US weapons.”

He accused Washington of “seeking to consolidate the failed project of intimidation against Iran, and stir up disputes between the countries of the region.”

“Contrary to the irresponsible statements, the Islamic Republic has always underscored the need for good neighborliness, dialogue, contribution and cooperation to guarantee security and joint interests of the regional countries away from foreign interventions,” Kanaani added.

He noted that developments that are moving forward “come in this context,” referring to Iran’s improving relations with a number of countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia.

Kanaani also blamed what he called the “ill-considered and wrong actions” of the United States for “insecurity and instability in the region for decades.”

“It is in the interest of this country to abandon its wrong, interventionist and irresponsible approaches to the issues of the countries of the region,” he emphasized.

Last week, the Iranian army announced that it had obtained dozens of combat and reconnaissance drones. Mahmoud Mousavi, Deputy Chief of Army Operations, said that his forces were now able to plan to carry out drone attacks against distant targets.



Jailed PKK Leader Ocalan Says Armed Struggle with Türkiye Over

FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a poster of jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan during a spring festival of Newroz celebration in Diyarbakir, southeastern Türkiye, March 21, 2025. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a poster of jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan during a spring festival of Newroz celebration in Diyarbakir, southeastern Türkiye, March 21, 2025. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar/File Photo
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Jailed PKK Leader Ocalan Says Armed Struggle with Türkiye Over

FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a poster of jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan during a spring festival of Newroz celebration in Diyarbakir, southeastern Türkiye, March 21, 2025. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a poster of jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan during a spring festival of Newroz celebration in Diyarbakir, southeastern Türkiye, March 21, 2025. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar/File Photo

Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), appeared in a rare online video on Wednesday to declare the group's armed struggle against Türkiye over and called for a full transition to democratic politics.

In the recording, dated June and released by Firat News Agency, which is close to the PKK, Ocalan urged Türkiye's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage a broader peace process.

"The phase of armed struggle has ended. This is not a loss, but a historic gain," he said. "The armed struggle stage must now be voluntarily replaced by a phase of democratic politics and law."

The PKK, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state for four decades and is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union, decided in May to disband after an initial written appeal from Ocalan in February.

Since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984 – originally with the aim of creating an independent Kurdish state – the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, imposed a heavy economic burden and fueled deep social and political divisions.

The video marks a rare and potentially pivotal moment in the long-running conflict, offering what could be President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's most significant opportunity yet to seal a political settlement to the Kurdish issue, should his government choose to respond, Reuters reported.

It also comes before PKK militants begin handing over their weapons in groups in northern Iraq's Sulaymaniyah on Friday, in a major step in the process.

Seated in a beige polo shirt with a glass of water on the table in front of him, Ocalan appeared to read from a transcript in the seven-minute video – the first public footage or audio of him since his arrest in 1999. Six other jailed PKK members sat beside him, all looking directly at the camera.

He said the PKK, which has been based in northern Iraq's mountainous regions in recent years, had ended its separatist agenda.

"The main objective has been achieved – existence has been acknowledged. What remains would be excessive repetition and a dead end," he said.

Ocalan added that Türkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM Party, the third largest in parliament and which played a key role facilitating the PKK's disarmament decision, should work alongside other political parties to advance the peace process.

The PKK and DEM expect Ankara to address Kurdish political demands, potentially before weapons in Türkiye are handed over.

Ocalan's message came a day after Ibrahim Kalin, head of Türkiye's MIT intelligence agency, visited Baghdad for high-level meetings with Iraqi officials, the agency said. Kalin had earlier visited Erbil in northern Iraq as well.

Talks focused on strengthening border security and steps toward a "terror-free Türkiye," with the Iraqi government voicing full support for joint efforts to eliminate armed groups from the region.