Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has banned weapons of mass destruction, which “clearly means Tehran won’t develop nuclear weapons,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday.
Negotiators from Iran and the United States are holding a third round of indirect nuclear talks in Geneva, Switzerland.
Mediator Oman says the two sides have expressed openness “to new and creative ideas and solutions”.
The discussions take place amid a massive US military build-up in the Middle East, with a number of countries warning their citizens to leave Iran due to the threat of possible US attacks.
During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump struck a belligerent tone but said he would prefer to resolve the standoff diplomatically.
Iran has also said it wants to find a diplomatic solution but will defend itself if the US resorts to military action.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Iran remained “crystal clear” that it would “under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon”, while also recognising the right of Iran’s people to the benefits of “peaceful nuclear technology”.
An Iranian state TV reporter is reporting that UN nuclear chief Grossi “joined the talks, effectively serving as a technical observer who can help advance the discussions more precisely and seriously”.
Iran presented a draft proposal to Oman before the talks, which is expected to gauge the US’s “seriousness”.
Amid rising fears of war, Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi warned that there would be “no victory for anybody – it would be a devastating war”.
