Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stated on Monday that the country’s nuclear program has become indigenous, and that archenemy Israel has been unable to halt its advancement via sabotage, assassination, and intimidation.
Raisi was speaking during a news conference in Tehran, which was attended by local and international media, and which coincided with the first anniversary of his government’s assumption of power last August.
Referring to the assassination of Iranian nuclear experts, which Tehran has blamed on Israel, the Iranian president stated that the assassination was an unsuccessful attempt to impede Iran’s nuclear advancement.
Invoking the edict of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he stated that nuclear activities and technology are Iran’s “right” but that nuclear weapons have no place in the nation’s “defense doctrine.”
Raisi emphasized that “no one could take away” his country’s “inalienable right to peaceful nuclear technology.”
The remarks come at a time when Tehran and Washington are in the final stages of salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal, and are now exchanging opinions on an EU proposal draft. Iran is likely to respond to US objections to the EU draft by Friday, which could pave the way for the deal to be revived following marathon negotiations in Vienna.
Raisi responded “no” when asked if he would be willing to meet or shake hands with US President Joe Biden during the upcoming UN General Assembly summit in New York, deeming such a meeting or conversation “useless.”
Raisi stated that Iran demands the repeal and annulment of US sanctions, describing them as “illegal and harsh,” adding that sanctions will not prevent Iran from exporting to other nations.
