Iran denies nuclear arms pursuit, criticises Israel

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reiterated that Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons and war, and that unfounded allegations to the contrary are primarily made by Israel, which has committed aggression against all the regional countries.

“We are not pursuing nuclear weapons. Our dear Leader of the Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei] has issued fatwa against it," he told foreign ambassadors and envoys in Tehran.

"Even those who think they can push this country toward nuclear weapons cannot do so because the doctrine of the Islamic Republic of Iran does not, under any circumstances, accept the mass killing of innocent people,” Pezeshkian added.

Iran’s nuclear doctrine is based on Ayatollah Khamenei's fatwa categorically banning the production, possession and stockpiling of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

Pezeshkian said verifying the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program is not difficult.

Such baseless allegations against Iran, Pezeshkian said, come from the occupying regime of Israel, an entity that “has violated the sovereignty of all nations in the region—yet human rights advocates claim it is merely defending itself.”

Trump said he would like to have a verified nuclear peace agreement with Iran.

Meanwhile Iran's Revolutionary Guards have taken delivery of the country's first ship capable of launching drones and helicopters at sea.

Amid military exercises lasting from early January to early March, Iran's armed forces have unveiled new weaponry as Tehran braces for more tensions with Israel and the United States under President Donald Trump.

A former container vessel, the new carrier is equipped with a 180-metre runway and is able to operate without refuelling for up to one year.

The ship is different from previous Revolutionary Guards warships because it can launch and retrieve larger drones such as the Qaher, a miniaturised drone version of a local fighter jet.