ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that Tehran is prepared to reassure the international community that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons, as negotiations between Iran and the United States continue over a possible agreement aimed at a permanent truce.
Speaking during a visit to the headquarters of Iran’s state broadcaster, Pezeshkian said Tehran's position on nuclear weapons had remained unchanged since the era of former Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini.
“During the era of our martyred Imam [Khomeini], we declared - and we declare again now - that we are ready to reassure the world that we are not seeking nuclear weapons or instability in the region,” Pezeshkian told state television.
The remarks came amid ongoing talks between Tehran and Washington following recent comments by US President Donald Trump suggesting that the two sides were nearing an agreement.
Trump said late Saturday that Washington and Tehran are close to reaching an agreement and the Strait of Hormuz “will be opened.”
He said he spoke earlier Saturday with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain regarding a draft proposal Iran submitted earlier in the day aimed at turning the Pakistan-mediated ceasefire that halted the war in April into a permanent truce.