During his participation in the twelfth session of the Abu Dhabi Strategic Forum, Khatibzadeh stated on Tuesday that “Iran is not seeking to possess nuclear bombs, and it is ready to reassure the world in this regard,” adding that “Iran is very proud of its nuclear program, which it developed locally,” and stressing that “there is no compromise when it comes to national security,” according to Reuters.
The Iranian official pointed out that Tehran received mixed messages from Washington through intermediary countries, in reference to the inconsistency in American positions towards the nuclear issue.
Khatibzadeh’s statement comes two days after statements by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, in which he clarified that “there is currently no possibility of resuming negotiations with the American side,” and added: “Whenever they are ready for a dialogue based on equality and aimed at an agreement beneficial to both parties, Iran can consider that.”
These statements came after US President Donald Trump announced that Tehran had requested the lifting of sanctions imposed on it, affirming his readiness to negotiate on this issue.
This coincided with the escalation of tension between the two countries following the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, and the subsequent reimposition of international sanctions after the activation of the “snapback mechanism” by the European Troika (France, Britain, and Germany).
Tehran accused Washington of making “unreasonable” demands during the recent negotiations that took place last September between the Iranian delegation and their European counterparts on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings.
It is worth noting that five rounds of indirect negotiations have been held between Iran and the “Trump” administration during the past months regarding the nuclear file, but while the Iranian delegation was preparing for the sixth round, Israel launched an unprecedented air attack on Iranian territory last June, in which the United States later participated, before the end of the 12-day war was announced.
