Tehran, October 16, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reiterated that Tehran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons, dismissing allegations to the contrary as false and calling for dialogue with the United States instead of coercive measures.
Pezeshkian made the remarks during a meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on the sidelines of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan, Armenia, according to a statement published on the Iranian president’s office website.
“Iran does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, and we consider the destructive propaganda against our country as a lie,” Pezeshkian said, referring to the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s stated opposition to developing such weapons.
The Iranian president said Tehran remained open to negotiations but would not accept pressure aimed at forcing the country to surrender.
“They (the United States) think they can force us to surrender, but we will not acquiesce to coercion,” he said.
Pezeshkian also criticised US sanctions against Iran, arguing that they did not comply with humanitarian principles. He described recent US-Israeli attacks on Iran as “unjustifiable and inhumane”.
Kobakhidze, meanwhile, said Georgia opposed any form of foreign interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states.
In a separate meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Pezeshkian said Washington must recognise that Iran would not surrender and would continue engaging with the international community while relying on domestic support and coordination with neighbouring countries.
He argued that US sanctions had created difficulties for Iran and affected the wider world, warning that continuing the same approach could worsen the situation internationally.
Pezeshkian called on Washington to pursue negotiations based on reason and dialogue rather than force.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said the conflict involving Iran would end “very shortly” and predicted that global energy prices would fall rapidly once hostilities ended. He also reiterated that Iran would not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.
Speaking to reporters before leaving Arizona for an election rally in Montana, Trump linked an expected end to the conflict with lower energy costs and improvements in the US economy.
“And Iran will end very shortly. It’s gonna be over very shortly, and your energy prices will fall very rapidly, very fast,” Trump said.
The contrasting statements underline the continuing disagreement between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions and the conflict, with Pezeshkian advocating dialogue and Trump insisting that Iran must not obtain nuclear weapons.
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