Iran rules out zero nuclear activity: President Pezeshkian
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Tehran: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has firmly ruled out any possibility of reducing Iran's nuclear activities to zero, while reaffirming the country's commitment to peaceful cooperation. In a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, Pezeshkian stated, “We are ready to cooperate and build trust over our peaceful nuclear activities, but we will not accept reducing nuclear activities to zero in any way,” according to a statement published on the Iranian president’s official website.
Pezeshkian emphasised his administration’s readiness to engage with all nations based on mutual respect. However, he accused Israel of deliberately sabotaging these diplomatic efforts, referring specifically to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July 2024, which occurred shortly after he assumed office.
The Iranian president further accused Israel of consistently violating international law through military actions, including its recent airstrikes on Iranian territory. He reiterated that Iran does not seek to develop nuclear weapons and remains open to providing assurances about the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.
In response, President Macron asserted that France had played no role in Israel’s military operation against Iran and did not support such actions. He stated that France condemned attacks on non-military and non-nuclear targets, and had focused its efforts on halting the conflict and reducing tensions. Macron added that France respected the integrity and sovereignty of all nations and believed that exerting pressure or issuing threats was not a legitimate path to resolving international disputes.
The high-level conversation came amid escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel. On June 13, Israel launched a series of major airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities, killing several senior commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks.
According to Iran’s Health Ministry, more than 400 Iranians have been killed and over 3,000 wounded since the strikes began. In Israel, local authorities reported that 24 civilians had died in Iranian missile attacks.
With IANS inputs
