Al-Monitor:
Following the joint US-British-French attack on Syria last month, opposition is hardening in Tehran against any form of negotiation with the West over Iran’s ballistic missile program. Accompanying this trend is the rare unity among political elites in a climate of division.
The shared belief underlying this attitude is that the West is seeking to hold talks with Iran over its missile program in order to undermine the country’s defense capabilities and make it vulnerable to future attack. In the early hours of April 14, US President Donald Trump joined forces with Britain and France to launch over 100 missiles at three Syrian targets, which they claimed to be chemical weapons sites.
The move marked Trump’s second military action against the Syrian government since taking office. Although the attacks were not as severe as anticipated by many observers, they were sufficient to reinforce Iran’s resolve to not negotiate with the West over its missile capabilities.
