‘We are ready’: Iran’s Pezeshkian challenges Trump with offer to open nuclear programme to inspectors

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that his country is willing to submit its nuclear program to international inspectors and has no ambition to pursue a nuclear weapon.

Speaking to Brett Baier on Fox News along the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) debata in New York, the Iranian President pinned the blame for the Middle East conflict squarely on United States of America.

“Not at all. Not at all. Our martyred, esteemed supreme leader had announced several times that from a religious decree, it is unholy. It is illegal,” Pezeshkian said, when questioned about Iran wanting a nuclear bomb,

The President also indicated that Iran would comply with lowering nuclear enrichment levels and monitoring by international inspectors. "So that weapon's mass destruction. We said we’re willing to dilute them. It’s not a big deal. We are willing to submit ourselves to verification," he said.

Blames Trump for failing to implement negotiated settlement

Pezeshkian also blamed US President Donald Trump and the American side for the failure to implement the negotiated settlement that both sides had reached at in June this year.

“We did reach an agreement with your president, that agreement was signed, and based on that, we are willing and still wish to move forward. And the framework was agreed upon. We had not closed the Strait of Hormuz; it was open, without any legal justification or framework...They attacked us. They assassinated and martyred our esteemed supreme leader; our scientists are military commanders and government,” the Iranian leader said in the interview.

"The problem is that America, instead of conducting dialogue, they descend into the arena by bombing us first, by blocking every pathway. We are ready," he said as quoted from the interview by news agency ANI.

209 days of US-Iran War

The war between the US and Iran entered its 209th day on Friday as the two sides continue to claim that they are ready for talks.

US President Donald Trump, in his UNGA address, said that he may "annihilate" the Islamic Republic if a deal isn't reached soon to end the nearly seven-month war.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal with Iran would involve hard work and that Trump “has a number of options available, including military options”.

Pezeshkian reiterated the stand taken during his speech to the UN General Assembly saying that the onus of starting the conflict rested on America while Iran was only defending itself.

In his UNGA address, Pezeshkian said Tehran wants to revive its June ceasefire understanding with Washington before the US midterm elections in November, telling reporters: “We don’t want it to get to the midterm elections.”

“We don’t want it to get to the midterm elections,” Pezeshkian told NBC News and other news organisations on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. “We wish Americans to return to the MOU before the midterms,” he added.

In the Fox Interview he said, "We will keep resisting. We will find ways, and the life of our country will continue. But we do not wish to continue. It’s America that must choose whether it wants to end this or not," the Iranian President said.

The Iranian President said that despite the sanctions imposed on Iran they would not bend the knee to any foreign power and placed the onus on the US administration to come to an agreement within the international legal framework.

"If America thinks that they can keep sanctioning us, we have nothing to do, nor do we consider any type of American elections. If the current American government, within international legal frameworks, wishes to reach an agreement, fine. If not, before the elections or after the elections, what difference does it make for us," he said.

We are ready. It’s America that must choose whether it wants to end this or not.

Pezeskhian's assertion puts the ball firmly in Donald Trump's court. While the US President has indulged in rhetoric of threatening annihilation of Iran, he knows that a settlement would be the best way to end a conflict that is now on for seven months.

(With ANI inputs)

About the Author

Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience.<br><br> Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter.<br><br> Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.

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