Iran says it does not seek nuclear weapons, criticizes E3 move to restore sanctions

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that his country does not seek nuclear weapons and criticized a move by France, Britain and Germany to reinstate United Nations sanctions on Tehran, state news agency IRNA reported.

"I hereby declare once more, before this assembly, that Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb," he told the General Debate of the General Assembly. "We do not seek nuclear weapons. This is our belief based on the edict issued by the Supreme Leader and by religious authorities."

Pezeshkian said the attempts by Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, which are parties to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, to reinstate UN sanctions against Iran are illegitimate.

The E3 claimed that they triggered the snapback mechanism provided for in the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), by notifying the Security Council of Tehran's "non-performance" on August 28.

Pezeshkian accused the Europeans of seeking to "destroy" the JCPOA, which he noted they once hailed as "the biggest achievement of multilateral diplomacy."

Iran signed the JCPOA in 2015 with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The United States withdrew in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, prompting Tehran to scale back its commitments.

(With input from Xinhua)