Washington:While paying tributes to the victims of the deadly September 11 terror attacks on its 25th anniversary, on Friday reiterated that Iran would never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, as he justified Washington's conflict against Tehran once again.
We love our first responders and law enforcement and we salute them. We also salute the service members who are working right now to make sure that the world’s number 1 sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never, ever have a nuclear weapon,” the 80-year-old Republican leader said, addressing a gathering in White House.
Since returning to office after the 2024 US Presidential elections, the Trump administration has opposed Iran’s nuclear program. It calls for Iran to abandon its nuclear program and has repeatedly threatened to strike its nuclear sites.
But Iran has repeatedly said its nuclear program is for civilian use and that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons. Iran also condemned a recent resolution by the board of governors of the United Nations atomic watchdog that referred Iran to the UN Security Council for its nuclear "non-compliance".
Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Reza Najafi, told state television that the resolution was adopted under "political pressure" from the US and its allies.
Iran says it is under extreme pressure and the country is at a "critical and dangerous" stage because of the conflict with the US, hitting out at the sanctions imposed by the West. Tehran has responded by shutting the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow and crucial waterway that lies between Iran and Oman, and which has seen a rise in global crude rates.
“Iran has been subject to heavy sanctions in recent years. This pressure has reached a critical and dangerous stage in recent months following the military aggression by the United States and Israel,” said Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday on sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
“When a country is under political and military pressure on its trade, energy, infrastructure, and financial system, the consequences go beyond its borders,” Pezeshkian said.
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