Bezhakian: Iran Will Not Bow to Global Power Pressures

SadaNews - Iranian President, Masoud Bezhakian, stated on Saturday that his country will not "bow its head" to the pressures of global powers, amidst ongoing nuclear talks with the United States, according to a report by Reuters.

Bezhakian added in a speech broadcasted by Iranian state television: "Global powers are lining up to force us to bow our heads... but we will not bow our heads despite all the problems they create for us."

U.S. President Donald Trump gave Iran a 15-day ultimatum on Thursday to reach a "viable deal" in the ongoing negotiations between the two sides or face "bad things," while Tehran once again defended its right to enrich uranium.

As the U.S. military buildup in the region continues, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the U.S. ally would respond forcefully to Tehran if attacked.

The United States and Iran resumed their indirect negotiations mediated by Oman on February 6. A second round took place in Geneva on Tuesday, after which both announced their intention to continue negotiations.

On Wednesday, Iran revealed that it is drafting a framework document to advance these negotiations, while the United States maintained its warning tone, stating that there are "several reasons" to strike Tehran.

Trump noted that "over the years it has proven to be not easy to reach a viable deal with Iran. We need to reach a viable deal, or bad things will happen."

He added: "We may need to go a step further, or perhaps not, or we may reach an agreement. You will probably find out about that in the next ten days." Later, Trump spoke to reporters about a maximum deadline of "10 - 15 days."