TEHRAN – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that his country is ready for “any verification” of its nuclear program, insisting that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons.
“We are not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. We have said this repeatedly and we are ready to submit to any verification,” Pezeshkian said in a speech in Tehran’s Azadi Square to commemorate the 47th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.
After Iran resumed indirect talks with the United States over its nuclear program, he added, “My country, Iran, has no intention of giving in to excessive demands.”
On Iranian state television, authorities on Wednesday showed footage of people taking to the streets across the country in support of the regime and its 86-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei.
In the streets on Wednesday, people waved statues of Ayatollah Khamenei and his predecessor, Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, alongside Iranian and Palestinian flags. Some chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
Some criticized Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who had called for anti-government demonstrations.
The anniversary comes amid an angry public condemnation of Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in late December and early January.
The country’s rulers continue to come under pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has suggested sending another aircraft carrier group to the Middle East.
President Trump made the proposal in an interview published Tuesday night as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington to urge the United States to provide the toughest possible terms for the deal reached with Iran in the nascent nuclear negotiations.
The United States bombed Iranian nuclear facilities last June during the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict.
Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been unable to confirm the status of Iran’s near-weapons-grade uranium stockpile since the 12-day conflict, which saw Iran suspend cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi reached an agreement in September 2025 with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragushi to resume inspections, but that same month the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran and the country suspended implementation of the agreement.
New indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States concluded last Friday in Muscat, mediated by the Sultanate of Oman.
Pezeshkian described the talks as a “step forward” and stressed that Tehran’s rationale on the issue is based on rights enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Ali Larijani, a senior Iranian security official, traveled Wednesday from Oman to Qatar, which is home to major U.S. military facilities. — Agency
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