Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated at the UN General Assembly that his country does not intend to develop nuclear weapons. He emphasized that Iran has never sought—and will not seek—to build an atomic bomb, citing religious edicts from the Supreme Leader and other clerical authorities as the basis for Tehran’s stance. Iran’s modern nuclear history stretches back to the 1950s under the US-backed Shah, and the country joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1970, placing its nuclear activities under IAEA safeguards.

60% Announcement and Its Limits

Days earlier, Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Iran had limited uranium enrichment to 60 percent, stopping short of the roughly 90 percent level typically associated with weapons-grade material. While 60 percent is

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