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 In a live televised speech, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei raised the
prospect of the two Western countries, long-time adversaries of the
Islamic Republic, possibly seeking to spread the infection to other
countries.
He added however that Iran could obtain vaccines "from other
reliable places". He gave no details, but China and Russia are both
allies of Iran.
"Imports of U.S. and British vaccines into the country are forbidden
... They're completely untrustworthy. It's not unlikely they would
want to contaminate other nations," said Khamenei, the country's
highest authority.
"Given our experience with France's HIV-tainted blood supplies,
French vaccines aren't trustworthy either," Khamenei said, referring
to the country's contaminated blood scandal of the 1980s and 1990s.
Iran launched human trials of its first domestic COVID-19 vaccine
candidate late last month, saying it could help Iran defeat the
pandemic despite U.S. sanctions that affect its ability to import
vaccines.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have risen since 2018, when
President Donald Trump abandoned Iran's 2015 nuclear deal and
reimposed sanctions to pressure Tehran into negotiating stricter
curbs on its nuclear program, ballistic missile development and
support for regional proxy forces.
In retaliation for U.S. sanctions, which were lifted under the
nuclear deal, Tehran has gradually violated the accord. U.S.
President-elect Joe Biden, who takes office on Jan. 20, has pledged
to rejoin the agreement, if Tehran also returns to full compliance.
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 Khamenei said Tehran was in no
rush for the United States to re-enter the deal,
but that sanctions on the Islamic Republic must
be lifted immediately. Iran's
utmost authority, Khamenei ruled out any talks over Tehran's missile
programme and Iran's involvement in the Middle East, as demanded by
the United States and some other major powers.
"Contrary to the U.S., Iran's involvement in the region creates
stability and is aimed at preventing instability ... Iran’s
involvement in the region is definite and will continue."
Shortly before Khamenei's speech, Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards
unveiled an underground missile base at an undisclosed Gulf
location.
The West sees Iran’s missiles both as a conventional military threat
to regional stability and a possible delivery mechanism for nuclear
weapons should Tehran develop them.
But Iran, which has one of the biggest missile programmes in the
Middle East, regards the programme as an important deterrent and
retaliatory force against U.S. and other adversaries - primarily
Gulf Arabs - in the region in the event of war.
(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Toby Chopra, Timothy
Heritage, William Maclean)
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