News Desk
TEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that his country would not bow to pressure from world powers as nuclear talks with the United States continue. “World powers are lining up to force us to bow our heads … but we will not bow our heads despite all the problems that they are creating for us,” Pezeshkian said in a speech carried live on state television.
His remarks came as President Donald Trump pushed the US to the brink of war with Tehran, despite aides urging him to focus more closely on voters’ economic concerns. Washington wants Iran to abandon its nuclear program. Tehran has refused and denies that it is seeking to develop an atomic weapon.
On Thursday, Trump warned that “bad things” would happen if Tehran did not reach a deal within 10 days. He later extended that deadline to 15 days. Asked by a reporter on Friday whether he was considering a limited military strike, Trump replied: “The most I can say — I am considering it.”
The president has ordered a significant build-up of US forces in the Middle East and preparations for a potential multi-week air campaign against Iran. Washington has deployed two aircraft carriers to the region as pressure mounts. The first, the USS Abraham Lincoln, carrying nearly 80 aircraft, was positioned about 700 kilometers from the Iranian coast, according to satellite images dated 18 February.
