Iranian leader insists Tehran does not seek nuclear bomb

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued an extraordinary overture to American investors ahead of talks with the US (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

Iran’s President has pledged that his nation is “not after a nuclear bomb” ahead of talks between Tehran and the US – going as far as dangling the prospect of direct American investment in the Islamic Republic if the countries can reach a deal.

The comments by reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian represent a departure from Iran’s stance after its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, in which Tehran sought to buy American aeroplanes but in effect barred US companies from coming into the country.