Pezeshkian made the remarks during the commemoration ceremony of National Nuclear Technology Day and the unveiling of the latest achievements in this industry, stressing that the more US threatens, the stronger Iran will stand.
“We seek peace and security, and we are open to dialogue, but based on dignity and pride. We will not back down from our achievements, nor will we compromise on them, and we will never allow anyone to prevent us from thinking or to prevent us from being innovative and creative,” he said.
Pezeshkian also reiterated that Tehran does not seek nuclear bombs.
The West says “Iran wants to produce nuclear bombs. Who is more authoritative than Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who has officially and publicly declared that we are not seeking to build nuclear bombs? You've verified it a hundred times, and you can verify it a thousand times more, but know this: we need nuclear science and nuclear energy in all fields,” he stressed.
The president said Iran does not seek war but remains strong against any possible aggression.
“We are not seeking war, but with the knowledge and power that our dear ones have created we will stand strong in the face of any aggression. The more they strike us, the stronger we will become; the more they threaten us, the firmer we will stand. We are not aggressors, and we are not going to attack anyone,” Pezeshkian stressed.
He also cited Ayatollah Khamenei's remarks that Iran is ready for negotiations but not directly, as the country does not “trust them”, asking, “How can they sanction all our resources and communications on one side and then ask us to engage in dialogue?”
Elsewhere in his remarks, he touched on the landmark nuclear deal reached in 2015 between Iran and world powers, known as the JCPOA, from which the US unilaterally withdrew in 2018 and re-imposed the sanctions on Iran while Tehran was fully fulfilling its commitments under the deal.
“We lived up to our commitments under the JCPOA, but they were the ones who withdrew from it. We didn't want to leave. They threatened us every day. When they threaten us, we will inevitably respond,” Pezeshkian noted.
“I am confident that we will be able to continue our path with strength, and with the dialogues that will take place, we will also solve these problems,” he stressed.
High-ranking delegations from Iran and the US are scheduled to meet in the Omani capital of Muscat on Saturday to commence indirect negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program and removal of anti-Iran sanctions.