Tehran – February 9, 2026 Iran’s hardline daily newspaper Khorasan featured Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi leaning confidently on a ballistic missile on its front page today, with the headline declaring: “The missile is the real leverage in the negotiations.”

Above the main headline, the paper emphasized that the regime’s so-called “defensive power” (a well-known euphemism for its missile arsenal) is what truly expands Iran’s options and strengthens its bargaining position against the West. The image and messaging come at a time when nuclear talks remain stalled, Iran continues to enrich uranium to near-weapons-grade levels, and Tehran refuses full IAEA access to sites like the suspected “Pickaxe Mountain” facility near Natanz.

The provocative cover has been widely shared on social media and cited by Israeli officials as fresh proof of Iran’s unwillingness to negotiate in good faith. Critics see it as open admission that missiles—not diplomacy—are the regime’s primary tool in any future confrontation.