Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019 | 12:05 a.m.
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's president is striking a muscular tone on dealings with the U.S., saying that "talks are useless" as Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers crumbles further.
President Hassan Rouhani made the comment in a speech on Thursday in Tehran during the unveiling of the Bavar-373, a long-range surface-to-air missile system that he described as an improvement to the Russian S-300.
Rouhani said that "now that our enemies do not accept logic, we cannot respond with logic."
He added: "When the enemy launches a missile against us, we cannot give a speech and say: 'Mr. Rocket, please do not hit our country and our innocent people. Rocket-launching sir, if you can please hit a button and self-destroy the missile in the air.'"
Iran has developed a homegrown defense industry since 1992.
