Iran is ready to reassure the international community that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons or instability in the region, President Masoud Pezeshkian has said.
“Before the martyrdom of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s late leader, we declared, and we reiterate now that we are ready to assure the world we do not seek nuclear weapons," Pezeshkian said in remarks carried by state-run news agency IRNA.
“It is rather Tel Aviv that is driving regional instability,” he said, accusing Israel of pursuing a vision of "Greater Israel".
Iranian negotiators will never compromise on the country's “honour and dignity", added Pezeshkian.
The United States and Iran appear closer to a deal that would end the war that started with US-Israeli strikes on Tehran on February 28 and subsequent Iranian retaliation targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday the world might "get some good news" soon after President Donald Trump announced an agreement had been "largely negotiated" and would include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Before Trump's announcement, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei spoke of "a trend towards rapprochement" with Washington but warned that "it does not necessarily mean that the United States and we will reach an agreement on the important issues."
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February. Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation and was later extended by Trump indefinitely.
