Talk of Iran’s weakness is a 'delusion', Quds Force chief says

Iran will not pursue nuclear weapons but will also not give up its peaceful nuclear program, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday.

“We won’t build a nuclear bomb, but we will not abandon peaceful nuclear industry either,” he said, speaking to economic figures in Ilam province.

Pezeshkian condemned Western pressure, saying the US and Europe are “trying to impose maximum sanctions and pressure on our people.”

He accused foreign powers of seeking to exploit Iran’s resources while selling it weapons.

“We have placed our trust in God, not in the US and its agents,” he said. “We want to talk to the world, but we will not bow to coercion and bullying.”

A regional ally had informed Tehran of a potential Israeli military strike, a senior official of the Islamic Republic told Reuters on Thursday, but stressed that Iran would not abandon its right to uranium enrichment despite mounting tensions.

“The tensions are intended to influence Tehran to change its position about its nuclear rights,” the official said.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that American personnel were being withdrawn from the Middle East due to growing risks in what he called a “dangerous place,” reaffirming that Washington will not permit Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.

Tehran and Washington are set to resume nuclear talks in Muscat, Oman Sunday.

Iran will not bow to American pressure, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday, accusing the US of regional destabilization.

“Those who plundered the world now accuse Iranian officials, while our nation serves with full commitment.” Pezeshkian said in a speech in Ilam province.

“They want to portray Iran as weak, but they don’t know the Iranian people.”

Referring to the country’s long history and cultural legacy, he said, “For 47 years, they’ve failed to make us surrender—and they still won’t.”

Senior Iranian military and government officials have convened to discuss potential responses in the event of an Israeli attack, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

Citing a senior Iranian official, the paper wrote, “Iranian military and government officials have already met to discuss their response to a potential Israeli strike.”

According to US and European officials quoted in the report, Israel appears to be preparing to launch an attack on Iran soon, prompting heightened alert in Tehran.

The sixth round of indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States will take place in Muscat this Sunday, June 15, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi confirmed Thursday.

“I am pleased to confirm the 6th round of Iran US talks will be held in Muscat this Sunday the 15th,” Albusaidi wrote on X.