‘Supreme leader ban’: Iran’s president denies country building nuclear weapons

The president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, answers questions from the press during a press conference in New York, this Friday (26) Angelina Katsanis/AP Photo The president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, said this Thursday (26) that the country will not develop nuclear weapons. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp SANDRA COHEN: In a spectacle to the nation, Trump distills partisan hatred and plays prank on Democrats According to Pezeshkian, the ban on supreme leader Ali Khamenei “clearly means that Tehran will not develop nuclear weapons”. Khamenei banned the development of nuclear weapons in a fatwa, or religious decree, in the early 2000s. The president made these statements on the same day as the third round of nuclear talks with the US, which continues to accuse Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons. (Read more below). Trump says he prefers diplomacy, but threatens Iran again In his ‘State of the Union’ speech this Tuesday (24), US President Donald Trump accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons and missiles capable of reaching the USA. “They have already developed missiles capable of threatening Europe and our bases abroad and are working to build missiles that could soon reach the United States,” he said. According to the president, Iran was warned that it should not resume its nuclear program. Still, he said the country had “returned to pursuing its nuclear ambitions.” Trump also recalled the attacks carried out by the US against Iran in June 2025. He stated that, at the time, American forces destroyed the country’s supposed nuclear weapons program. “My preference is to resolve this problem through diplomacy, but one thing is certain: I will never allow the largest sponsor of terrorism in the world to have a nuclear weapon,” he continued. The two countries are experiencing an increase in tensions amid negotiations for an agreement that seeks to limit Iran’s nuclear program. In response, Iran called the accusations “big lies” and said the Trump administration is running a “disinformation campaign” against the country. New meeting Iran should have a decisive day this Thursday (26), with another round of nuclear negotiations with US authorities. According to the British newspaper The Guardian, Trump should decide on a possible attack on the country based on the outcome of the meeting. ▶️ Context: This Thursday’s meeting, in Geneva, Switzerland, will be the third in less than a month in an attempt to reach an agreement that limits or ends Iran’s nuclear program. The US wants Iran to stop uranium enrichment because it fears the country will seek to build a nuclear bomb. The Iranian government claims that the program is for peaceful purposes, aimed at energy production. According to the American press, the US also wants to restrict the range of Iranian ballistic missiles and end support for armed groups in the Middle East. Iran defends that the negotiations are limited to the nuclear program and says it is willing to reduce the level of uranium enrichment in exchange for the end of sanctions. The last meeting between the two countries took place on February 17, also in Geneva. At the time, the Iranian delegation stated that progress had been made. The White House said the meeting represented “certain progress.” US President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the plenary chamber of the United States Capitol Kevin Lamarque/Reuters VIDEOS: most watched on g1

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