Shafaq News- Najaf

Iran will not relinquish “its right to nuclear and defensive capabilities,” despite US pressure, Iran’s Ambassador to Iraq, Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadegh, said on Tuesday.

On the sidelines of an event marking the 47th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in Najaf, Kazem told Shafaq News that Washington’s threats were longstanding and “had not altered Tehran’s position.”

Earlier today, US President Donald Trump warned that Iran would not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons or missiles, raising the prospect of military action if talks fail.

The statements follow the resumption of US–Iran talks last Friday in Oman, the first such negotiations since the 12-day war in June 2025. Despite Trump’s repeated emphasis on a negotiated outcome, the United States has continued to reinforce its military posture in the Gulf, saying he was considering deploying an additional aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, noting that “we have a fleet there, and maybe another fleet on the way.”

Read more: US, Israel, and Iran step up military readiness as regional tensions grow