TEHRAN (Tasnim) � Iran�s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan denounced the comments made by US defense secretary who spoke in favor of military force as a viable option in dealing with Iran, saying such �worthless� remarks have no bearing on Tehran�s logical stand on nuclear talks.







�Such comments by the American officials, while the sensitive and complicated nuclear negotiations are in progress� are meant to affect the logical atmosphere of the talks,� Dehqan said.

He made the comments in reaction to US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter who referred to military action as a viable option if a long-awaited nuclear deal cannot be reached.

In a Tuesday interview with NBC, Carter said that if the US, Iran and the five other nations involved in the talks cannot strike a deal, then �the military option certainly will remain on the table.�

In response, Dehqan underlined that Iran is ready to �counter any hostile threat� in practice.

He explained that such comments show why Iran mistrusts the US, but made it clear that the rhetoric will never undermine Iran�s �logical and fair� positions in the talks with world powers.

Carter seems to be suffering from Alzheimer�s disease, Dehqan noted, adding, �If Ashton Carter recalled America�s previous and recent defeats in the region and the world, he would refrain from making such hollow comments.�

Since a week ago, negotiators and senior diplomats from Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) have been working in the Swiss city of Lausanne on a long-awaited agreement on Tehran�s peaceful nuclear program.

By Tasnim News Agency