Iran's president says Tehran did not transfer weapons to Russia since he took office

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 September.

The United States and its allies accused Iran last week of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine, imposing fresh sanctions on Moscow and Tehran.

Russia and Iran both denied the Western claims.

Asked whether Iran had transferred missiles to Russia, Pezeshkian told a televised news conference: "It is possible that a delivery took place in the past... but I can assure you that since I took office, there has not been any such delivery to Russia."

British sources reported in February that Iran had provided Russia with a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, deepening the military cooperation between the two US-sanctioned countries. 

Tehran wants to negotiate over its nuclear program

Pezeshkian insisted Monday that Tehran didn't want to enrich uranium at near-weapons grade levels but had been forced to by the US withdrawal from its nuclear deal with world powers.

The comments by the reformist president underlines a campaign promise he made to try to see international sanctions on the Islamic Republic lifted.

However, it remains unclear just how much room for negotiation Pezeshkian will have — and just who will be in the White House come next year.

"I think, we said many times, we don’t want to do this at all. We want to solve our technical and scientific needs, we are not looking for nuclear weapons," Pezeshkian said.

"We adhered to the framework written in the (nuclear deal). We are still looking to maintain those frameworks. They tore them, they forced us to do something."

He added: "If they don’t continue, we will not continue."

Pezeshkian's comments came as Iran enriches uranium up to 60% purity, which is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Iran long has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, but Western nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Iran had a military nuclear program up until 2003.

Iran's supreme leader, the 85-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has opened the door to possible negotiations by earlier telling its civilian government there was "no harm" in engaging with its "enemy."

There have been indirect talks between Iran and the US in recent years mediated by Oman and Qatar, two of Washington's Middle East interlocutors when it comes to Iran.

Pezeshkian’s new foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, also was deeply involved in negotiating the 2015 deal.

Pezeshkian said that Iran wouldn't give up its ballistic missile arsenal "unless all are disarmed in our region."

He made a point to say that Israel should disarm after earlier criticizing its conduct in the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

"We need military power for the security of our people and country," he said. "We will not lose our defense power unless all are disarmed in our region. If America also respects our rights, we have no dispute. Do not sanction or threaten us, we will not be threatened."

Tehran launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel in April.

A shadow war between the two countries over the years reached a climax with Israel’s apparent attack on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed two Iranian generals and others.

The July assassination in Tehran of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, suspected to have been carried out by Israel, also prompted Iran to threaten to retaliate against Israel.