Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian, in an interview broadcast on Tuesday (Jan 13) warned US president-elect Donald Trump against risking a "war" with the Islamic republic.

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Pezeshkian said that Iran was not interested in seeking "nuclear weaponry" and that he hoped Trump would seek peace and not war.

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His statement comes less than a week before Trump is set to make his return to the White House.

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What did the Iran President say?

During an interview with NBC News, Pezeshkian said: "I do hope that Trump will conduce to peace in the region and the world not, conversely, contribute to bloodshed or war."

His statement comes after Trump during his recent presidential campaign said that US ally Israel could strike Iranian nuclear facilities. In November 2024, Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz also issued a stark warning to Iran asserting that the nation's nuclear sites are now "more exposed than ever" to potential strikes by Israel.

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Talking about the prospect of US-endorsed Israeli military strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, President Masoud Pezeshkian said, "We will react to any action. We do not fear war, but we do not seek it."

Iran and nuclear weaponry

Israel has long accused Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons, a claim that Tehran firmly denies, maintaining that its nuclear programme is peaceful. Tensions intensified after the United States, under President Donald Trump, withdrew from a 2015 nuclear agreement that had restricted Iran’s nuclear development. Since then, Iran has ramped up uranium enrichment to 60 per cent — alarmingly close to the 90 per cent required for atomic weapons-grade.

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Refuting reports that Iran was undertaking enrichment to make nuclear weapons, Pezeshkian said: "We do not seek to create nuclear weaponry or armament," adding, "However, they accuse us of seeking the manufacturing of a bomb." 

(With inputs from agencies)