Iran’s new reformist president is insisting that Tehran didn’t want to enrich uranium at near-weapons grade levels but had been forced by the U.S. withdrawal from its nuclear deal with world powers.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian provided an update on the country's nuclear program this week amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. On Monday, Pezeshkian held a press conference where he was asked about Iran's nuclear program and said that Tehran does not seek to enrich uranium to near-weapons grade levels but claimed it was compelled to do so after the United States withdrew from the nuclear deal with world powers.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that his government had not transferred any weapons to Russia since it took office in August, after Western powers accused Tehran of delivering ballistic missiles to Moscow in.

Iran’s reformist president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has signalled a renewed openness to resuming nuclear negotiations with western nations and denied that his country had supplied ballistic missiles to Russia since he took office more than six weeks ago.

The Islamic Republic has for years defied Western calls to limit its missile programme. The United States and its allies have more recently accused Iran of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine,