Very Strange Flat Tire

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The guy at Discount Tire says this puncture can't be repaired safely. He moved the nail around as he pulled it out and said that it barely grazed the belts. He said if moisture gets in there, it will cause the belts to rust and could cause the tire to fail catastrophically. It's not losing air from this puncture, but there is another puncture (typical straight-through-the-tread kind that IS losing air), so I can't use the tire until the other puncture is repaired. Is this for real, or is the guy trying to sell me new tires?