Iranian Army Commander Major General Amir Hatami (pictured) on Saturday declared that Iran’s nuclear program “cannot be eliminated” despite pressure from the United States, AFP reported. Hatami also warned that Iran’s forces remain prepared to respond to any attack. “The nuclear science and technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot be eliminated, even if scientists and sons of this nation are martyred,” he said. His remarks followed comments from US President Donald Trump, who said he expected Tehran to seek an agreement to negotiate its nuclear status.
US, Iran said to call off nuclear talks
The US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Friday were canceled due to the Iranian side’s refusal to engage in non-nuclear issues, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing US officials. After US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that discussions with Iran must also address its ballistic missile program, backing for terror proxies, and suppression of rallies, Tehran rejected the suggestion, claiming that the discussions would solely be about its nuclear program. The parties had decided to meet in Istanbul on Friday, with observers from several Middle Eastern nations attending. However, the Iranians stated on Tuesday that they intended to relocate the discussions to Oman and hold them in a bilateral format to make sure they only addressed nuclear issues and not other topics like missiles that are important to the United States and other countries in the region.