"As we have repeatedly said, we, based on the fatwa of the Supreme Leader [Ali Khamenei], we have in no way sought to create nuclear weapons, and we will not create them," Pezeshkian said during talks with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi, as quoted by Iranian news agency Mehr.
In 2015, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Russia, the United States, France and Iran concluded a nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which offered sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear program. The United States, under President Donald Trump, withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and reinstated sanctions on Tehran. In response, Iran announced a gradual reduction in its commitments under the deal, abandoning restrictions on nuclear research, centrifuges and uranium enrichment levels.