Iran rejects reducing nuclear activities to zero: president

TEHRAN, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that Iran will not agree to reduce its nuclear activities to zero, according to a statement published on the website of his office.

"We are ready to cooperate and build trust over our peaceful nuclear activities," he told French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call. "But we will not accept reducing nuclear activities to zero in any way," he said.

Pezeshkian emphasized that his government has sought cooperation with all nations based on mutual respect. However, he blamed Israel for undermining these efforts, citing the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July 2024, shortly after he took office.

He accused Israel of persistently violating international law through military actions, including recent strikes on Iran. He stressed that Iran does not pursue nuclear weapons and remains open to providing guarantees about the peaceful intent of its nuclear program.

The French president, for his part, said his country had not participated in Israel's military attack against Iran and did not support it, emphasizing that France condemned any attack on non-military and non-nuclear centers.

Macron added that his country had focused all its efforts on stopping the military conflict and de-escalating tensions, noting that France respected countries' integrity and sovereignty and maintained that influencing states' sovereignty through pressure and threats was not a proper solution.

The conversation came amid ongoing hostilities. On June 13, Israel launched major airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, killing several senior commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks. As of Saturday, more than 400 Iranians have been killed and over 3,000 wounded, according to Iran's Health Ministry. In Israel, 24 civilians were killed by Iranian missile strikes, according to local authorities. ■