Iran’s president declares the country will never develop nuclear bombs

President Masoud Pezeshkian’s statement comes at a time when the 30-day process to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran by the UK, France, and Germany (the E3) is set to conclude on September 27.

The three countries allege that Tehran has failed to comply with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal.

The E3 stated that if Iran restores access for UN inspectors, addresses concerns over its stockpile of enriched uranium, and engages in talks with the United States, the decision to implement sanctions could be postponed for up to six months.

 

After meeting with President Pezeshkian at the United Nations, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media platform X, “The deal is still possible. Only a few hours left. Iran must now respond to the legitimate concerns we have raised.”

Iran has previously blamed the U.S. withdrawal from the 2018 nuclear deal under President Donald Trump, as well as subsequent airstrikes, for reducing its commitment to earlier promises.

Pezeshkian accused European countries of hypocrisy, saying, “While they present themselves as honest actors, in reality they have belittled our sincere efforts. They are essentially acting at the behest of the United States.”

In his UN speech, he added that Europe has bypassed legal obligations and misrepresented Iran’s lawful actions as violations of the deal.

Earlier, in a speech on Tuesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated that Tehran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons, but rejected any possibility of negotiations with the United States.

The reimposition of new sanctions would primarily lead to the seizure of Iran’s foreign assets, halt arms agreements, and severely restrict its ballistic missile program.