Masoud Pezeshkian (AP image)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday reaffirmed that Tehran is not pursuing nuclear weapons, insisting that its nuclear activities are peaceful in nature.“I hereby declare once more before this assembly that Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb,” Pezeshkian told the United Nations General Assembly in New York, as reported by news agency AFP. His remarks come as Iran faces looming UN sanctions unless it reaches a last-minute agreement with European leaders by Saturday. Britain, France, and Germany, the so-called E3 have already moved to trigger the “snapback” mechanism to reinstate sanctions, accusing Tehran of failing to comply with the 2015 nuclear deal.Pezeshkian strongly criticised the European powers, accusing them of acting in “bad faith” and dismissing Iran’s efforts under the agreement. He argued that the E3 sought to dictate terms while disregarding Iran’s genuine attempts to uphold its commitments, particularly after the United States unilaterally abandoned the accord in 2018.The Iranian president also condemned recent Israeli and US strikes, describing them as a severe blow to global trust and the prospects for regional peace. His address marked his first appearance at a major international forum since the summer’s 12-day Israel-Iran conflict which saw the loss of several of Iran’s senior military and political leaders. In a post on X, he wrote: “Three European countries, after failing to bring the proud people of Iran to their knees with 10 years of bad faith and subsequently with support for military aggression, under the orders of the United States, through pressure, bullying, imposition, and blatant exploitation, sought to revive the annulled Security Council resolutions against Iran.” Despite pressure from the West, Pezeshkian reiterated Iran’s long-standing position that its nuclear programme is peaceful and will not be diverted toward weapons development.
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