TEHRAN, IRAN — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed on Wednesday that Iran will not bow to American demands to halt its nuclear ambitions, declaring his country’s scientific progress non-negotiable, reported by The Nation.
In an interview with the state-run IRNA news agency, Pezeshkian said ongoing nuclear negotiations with the United States and Europe are being guided by the red lines set by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“We will not bow to arrogance,” Pezeshkian said. “We will not dismantle our research and wait for foreign permission to access what we need for medicine, agriculture, industry, and science.”
His remarks come as uranium enrichment remains the chief obstacle in renewed diplomatic talks, which resumed in April with Oman acting as a mediator. The sixth round is scheduled for Sunday in Muscat, according to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei. Previous rounds, held in Rome and Muscat, have yielded incremental progress but no breakthrough.
In Washington, former President Donald Trump struck a skeptical tone, saying he is now “less confident” about the prospects of a deal. “They seem to be delaying… but whether there’s a deal or not, Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon,” he warned, leaving the door open to potential military action.
Meanwhile, Khamenei reiterated his distrust of U.S. intentions, stating Iran needs “no one’s permission” to enrich uranium—a message clearly echoed by Pezeshkian.
As the stalemate deepens, the future of Iran’s nuclear program—and the fate of Middle East stability—hangs in the balance, caught between threats, diplomacy, and the unrelenting pursuit of autonomy.
