- Pezeshkian denies nuclear weapons, offers uranium dilution, verification.
- IAEA referred Iran’s non-compliance to UN Security Council.
- Pezeshkian blamed US, Trump emphasized preventing Iranian weapons.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ruled out any ambition to develop a nuclear weapon and said Tehran is prepared to allow international inspectors to verify its nuclear programme, including by diluting its enriched uranium stockpile.
Speaking to Fox News on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Pezeshkian said Iran was willing to accept international verification but maintained that its nuclear programme was not intended to produce a bomb.
Asked directly whether Iran wanted a nuclear weapon, Pezeshkian said: “Not at all. Not at all.” He referred to religious rulings by Iran’s supreme leader declaring weapons of mass destruction unlawful and said Tehran was ready to reduce its enriched nuclear material and submit to international monitoring.
ALSO READ | WATCH: Mass Walkout At UNGA As Netanyahu Begins Address; Israeli PM Hits Back At ‘Moral Cowards’
Pezeshkian Offers To Dilute Enriched Uranium
“We said we’re willing to dilute them. It’s not a big deal. We are willing to submit ourselves to verification,” Pezeshkian told Fox News.
His comments come as Iran’s nuclear programme remains under close scrutiny from the International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA has said it has been unable to obtain information from Iran about the status of its declared nuclear material and facilities or conduct in-field verification at affected sites, limiting its ability to fully carry out its safeguards responsibilities.
The IAEA has also continued to raise concerns over Iran’s uranium enrichment programme. Iran has been enriching uranium to 60%, well above the levels generally associated with civilian nuclear power, although Pezeshkian has continued to insist that Tehran’s nuclear activities are peaceful.
IAEA Dispute Escalates As Iran Faces Pressure
The IAEA Board of Governors on September 9 referred the issue of Iran’s nuclear non-compliance to the United Nations Security Council, escalating the dispute over Tehran’s safeguards obligations.
Against that backdrop, Pezeshkian blamed the United States for the escalation and accused Washington of choosing military action instead of continuing negotiations. “The problem is that America, instead of conducting dialogue, they descend into the arena by bombing us first, by blocking every pathway. They attacked us,” he said.
Pezeshkian reiterated that Iran’s military response was defensive and said Tehran did not want the conflict to continue. He also said Iran remained prepared for an agreement and for international access to its nuclear programme.
ALSO READ | Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Walks Away After Reporter Questions Him On Hafiz Saeed At UN: WATCH
Trump Says Iran Cannot Be Allowed Nuclear Weapon
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains a central US objective. On September 22, Trump said the United States and Iran were continuing to communicate and that he believed a settlement would eventually be reached.
“They want to talk to us. They have been talking to us, even today they’ve been talking to us,” Trump said after meeting British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. He also stressed that Iran could not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.
Pezeshkian’s comments therefore come amid a sharp contrast between Tehran’s stated position that it does not seek nuclear weapons and the continuing international dispute over its enrichment programme and access for nuclear inspectors.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
