Tehran, February 21, 2026: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that Tehran would not succumb to pressure from world powers amid ongoing nuclear negotiations with the United States.
“World powers are lining up to force us to bow our heads … but we will not bow our heads despite all the problems that they are creating for us,” Pezeshkian said in a speech broadcast live on state television.
His remarks come after US President Donald Trump said he was considering a limited military strike on Iran, following a significant American naval build-up in the Middle East aimed at pressuring Tehran to curb its nuclear programme.
Trump earlier warned that “bad things” would happen if Iran failed to reach an agreement within 10 days — a deadline he later extended to 15 days. When asked on Friday whether he was contemplating a limited strike, Trump said, “The most I can say — I am considering it.”
As part of the military deployment, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford entered the Mediterranean Sea on Friday after transiting the Strait of Gibraltar. Washington had already deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying warships to the Gulf in January.
The latest tensions follow negotiations between Iranian and US officials in Geneva earlier this week. After the talks, Tehran said both sides had agreed to prepare draft proposals for a potential agreement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a draft proposal would be ready within days. “I believe that in the next two, three days, that would be ready, and after final confirmation by my superiors, that would be handed over to Steve Witkoff,” he told US media, referring to Trump’s Middle East negotiator.
Araghchi also stated that US negotiators had not demanded that Iran end its uranium enrichment programme, contradicting statements by some American officials.
“We have not offered any suspension, and the US side has not asked for zero enrichment,” he said in an interview with MS NOW. “What we are now talking about is how to make sure that Iran’s nuclear programme, including enrichment, is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever.”
