Pezeshkian says Iran will not bow to pressure amid US nuclear talks

Reuters/ AFP: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that his country would not bow its head to pressure from world powers amid nuclear talks with the United States.

“World powers are lining up to force us to bow our heads … but we will not bow our heads despite all the problems that they are creating for us,” Pezeshkian said in a speech carried live by state TV.

The comments come after US Pre­si­dent Donald Trump said he was considering a limited strike on Iran after ordering a major naval build-up in the Middle East aimed at pressuring Tehran to reach a deal to curb its nuclear programme.

The latest warning came after Iran’s foreign minister said a draft proposal for an agreement with Washington would be ready within days, following negotiations bet­ween the two sides in Geneva earlier this week.

Trump had suggested on Thursday that “bad things” would happen if Tehran did not strike a deal within 10 days, a deadline he later extended to 15 days.

Asked by a reporter on Friday whether he was contemplating a limited military strike, Trump replied: “The most I can say — I am considering it.”

As part of the military build-up, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford was seen entering the Mediter­ranean Sea on Friday, transiting the Strait of Gibraltar, after being ordered to the region by Trump. Washin­gton had already deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln and escort warships to the Gulf in January.

After the talks in Geneva, Tehran said the two sides had agreed to submit drafts of a potential agreement, which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told US media would be the “next step”.

“I believe that in the next two, three days, that would be ready, and after final confirmation by my superiors, that would be handed over to Steve Witkoff,” he said, referring to Trump’s main Middle East negotiator.

Araghchi also said US negotiators had not reque­sted that Tehran end its nuclear enrichment progra­mme, contradicting statements from American officials.

“We have not offered any suspension, and the US side has not asked for zero enrichment,” he said in an interview released Friday by US TV network MS NOW.

“What we are now talking about is how to make sure that Iran’s nuclear programme, including enrichment, is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever,” he added.