Iranian President Pezeshkian reaffirms the continuation of Nuclear Programmes along with a war with Israel.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has reaffirmed his country’s preparedness for any war Israel might wage against it, while confirming Tehran is committed to continue its nuclear programme for peaceful purposes. He was also very doubtful about the ceasefire between the countries.

This is the President’s first reaction since the end of the 12-day conflict with Israel last month, in which the United States intervened on Israel’s behalf, launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The attack by the United States and Israel on Iran was perpetual, including the targeted killings of scientists and intellectuals, bombing of IAEA-approved nuclear facilities, and strikes against residential, medical, media, and public infrastructure, is a prime example of illegal, unilateral action that must not remain unaddressed, as per Iranian sources. It is a wrongful act and a clear violation of fundamental norms of international law. The principle of state responsibility, which dictates that states are held accountable for wrongful acts, must be applied. This principle was codified by the International Law Commission ILC in its 2001 Draft Articles on Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts, which have since been widely recognised and cited by international courts and tribunals.

The international legal order loses its effectiveness when faced with the unilateralism of hegemonic powers as well as acts that flout universally accepted norms. If such practices remain unaddressed, there is a risk that the order will lose its foundational purpose: the protection of justice, peace, and the sovereignty of nations.

Pezeshkian said Iran would continue its uranium enrichment programme despite international opposition, saying the development of its nuclear abilities would be carried out “within the framework of international laws”.

While, US President Donald Trump said that, “Iran should not have a nuclear weapon and we accept this because we reject nuclear weapons and this is our political, religious, humanitarian and strategic position. We believe in diplomacy, so any future negotiations must be according to a win-win logic, and we will not accept threats and dictates”.

The Iranian President said, the claim from Trump “that our nuclear programme is over is just an illusion. Our nuclear capabilities are in the minds of our scientists and not in the facilities”.

Pezeshkian’s comments echoed earlier remarks by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said in an interview with US broadcaster Fox News aired Monday that Tehran would never abandon its uranium enrichment programme, but was open to a negotiated solution to its nuclear ambitions, in which it would guarantee that the programme was for peaceful purposes in response for the lifting of sanctions.

Israel sought to ‘overthrow’ leadership –

Pezeshkian also addressed an attempt by Israel to assassinate him at a meeting of the Supreme National Security Council in Tehran on June 15, which was reported to have left him with minor injuries. When asked about the assassination attempt, he said it had been part of a plan by Israeli commanders to target Iran’s political leadership in the wake of its assassination of senior military figures, in a bid “to put the country into chaos in order to overthrow it completely”.

But the plan had failed, he said. He also stressed that Tehran’s strikes on Qatar’s Al Udeid base in the wake of US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities had not been an attack on Qatar and its people.

“We do not even have a thought or imagination that there should be hostility or rivalry between us and the state of Qatar”, he said, adding that he had called Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the day of the strikes to explain his position. “I say clearly and honestly that we did not attack the State of Qatar, but we attacked a base for America that bombed our country while all our intentions towards Qatar and its people are good and positive”.

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization is still evaluating how the attacks last month had affected Iran’s enriched material, saying Tehran would soon inform the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its findings.

He said Iran had not stopped cooperation with the IAEA, adding that any request for the IAEA to send inspectors back to Iran would be “carefully considered”.

IAEA inspectors left Iran earlier this month after Pezeshkian signed a law suspending cooperation with the agency. Meanwhile, talks are set to take place between Iran, France, Germany and the UK in Türkiye on Friday.

The three European parties to the former Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which Tehran signed with several world powers in 2015 before the US pulled out in 2018, have said Tehran’s failure to resume negotiations would lead to international sanctions being reimposed on it.

Team Maverick