Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared this Saturday that his country will not bow to pressure from world powers during 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 they are creating for us,” Pezeshkian said in a speech broadcast live on state television, Reuters quoted him as saying.
The statements come after US President Donald Trump said he was considering an attack on Iran, after ordering a large naval buildup in the Middle East with the aim of pressuring Tehran to reach a deal to limit its nuclear program.
The latest warning came after Iran's foreign minister said a draft proposal for a deal with Washington would be ready within days, following negotiations between the two sides in Geneva this week.
Trump had suggested on Thursday that “bad things” would happen if Tehran did not reach a deal within 10 days, a deadline he later extended to 15. Asked by a reporter on Friday if he was considering a limited military strike, Trump replied: “What I can say is that I am considering it.”
As part of the military buildup, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford was seen entering the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, after being ordered to the region by Trump. Washington had already deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln and several accompanying ships to the Persian Gulf in January.
After talks in Geneva, Tehran said both sides had agreed to present drafts of a possible deal, which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told US media would be the "next step".
“I believe that in the next two or three days, it will be ready, and after final confirmation from my superiors, it will be handed over to Steve Witkoff,” he said, referring to Trump's chief Middle East negotiator.
Araghchi also said that US negotiators had not demanded that Tehran halt its nuclear enrichment program, contradicting statements by US officials.
"We have not offered any suspension, and the American side has not asked for zero enrichment," he said in an interview published Friday by the American television network MS NOW.
"What we are talking about now is how to ensure that Iran's nuclear program, including enrichment, is peaceful and remains peaceful forever," the Iranian foreign minister added.
