Iran’s leader says country "not after nuclear bomb", opens door to US investment

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on April 9 reaffirmed that Tehran is “not after a nuclear bomb” and invited US investors if a deal is reached, ahead of renewed diplomacy with Washington.

Speaking in the capital, Pezeshkian said Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had no objections to US investment — a notable shift from Iran’s stance after the 2015 nuclear deal, when Tehran bought American aircraft but barred US firms, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“His excellency has no opposition to investment by American investors in Iran,” Pezeshkian said in a speech in Tehran. “American investors: Come and invest.”

The proposal could appeal to U.S. President Donald Trump, who pulled Washington out of the 2015 accord during his first term in office. Trump is now pursuing a fresh agreement with the Islamic Republic.

Pezeshkian, a reformist who ran for office last year on a platform of improved relations with the West, said upcoming negotiations in Oman between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff would take place “indirectly.”

Trump has previously claimed the talks would be direct, a prospect Iranian officials have not dismissed following earlier discussions.

“We are not after a nuclear bomb,” Pezeshkian added. “You (in the West) have verified it 100 times. Do it 1,000 times again.”

Note that, U.S. and Iran are scheduled to resume negotiations in Oman on Saturday, aiming to revive discussions around Tehran’s advancing nuclear programme. The announcement has already highlighted a fundamental disagreement between the two sides regarding the nature of the talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump described the upcoming meeting as "direct talks" and issued a stern warning: Iran would "be in great danger" if the talks failed. In contrast, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi characterised the meeting as "indirect high-level talks" facilitated by a mediator.

The distinction is significant, as previous indirect discussions have yielded little progress since President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018. That move triggered a wave of sanctions under his "maximum pressure" policy, a strategy he has reinstated during his second term.

Trump has left open the possibility of military action while maintaining that a new agreement remains achievable. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has warned that any attack would prompt a reciprocal response, referencing U.S. military personnel stationed within range of Iranian missile systems across the region.

Tensions have further escalated following Trump’s letter to Khamenei dated March 5, in which he threatened military action should Iran refuse to engage in dialogue. Speaking the following day, Trump confirmed the letter, stating: "I've written them a letter saying, 'I hope you're going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it's going to be a terrible thing.'"

By Aghakazim Guliyev