President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran will not be brought to its knees by sanctions or failed negotiations.
“It’s not as if we’ll die of hunger if they refuse to talk to us or impose sanctions,” he said in a speech on Monday. “We will find a way—there are hundreds of ways to overcome problems.”
“If we reach an understanding with our elites and our people, we won’t need anyone else,” Pezeshkian added.
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Monday that while Iran welcomes regional participation in peaceful nuclear efforts, any consortium model cannot replace domestic enrichment.
“We support initiatives involving regional countries in enrichment and fuel production for peaceful use, but this cannot substitute Iran’s internal program,” he said.
Baghaei also added that neighboring states have been kept informed during each round of talks and acknowledged growing interest in nuclear energy across the region.
On the handling of enriched uranium stockpiles, he said, “We have not yet reached the stage of addressing detailed mechanisms.”
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei on Monday dismissed reports that the US has requested access to Iran’s military sites, calling the it absolutely false.
He also rejected media reports on a three-year halt to uranium enrichment, saying it was “the writer’s imagination.”
Baghaei further said that a temporary agreement has not been on Iran’s agenda and was not discussed during the fifth round of indirect talks with the US in Rome.
