Video: Iran’s Araghchi dismisses nuclear weapons claims as ‘big lie’
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
Abdullateef Fowewe
Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi has dismissed allegations that Iran is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons as a “big lie” fabricated by Israel more than two decades ago.
Araghchi stated that the claims were “concocted by Israel in 2003.”
He emphasised that Iran “has been a faithful party to the NPT since 1970 and has been subject to extensive IAEA monitoring for decades.”
Araghchi speaking at a United Nations venue, presented in split-screen alongside archival footage of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding a diagram of a bomb that illustrated stages of uranium enrichment, including a “final stage” at 90 per cent.
The comments come as Araghchi is in New York for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
Iran has repeatedly insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
The country remains a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has faced years of International Atomic Energy Agency scrutiny, sanctions, and diplomatic negotiations over its enrichment activities.
Tensions between Iran, Israel, and the United States have escalated in recent years.
Military actions in 2025 and early 2026 included strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and other targets, contributing to a highly charged atmosphere around Iran’s nuclear file at the United Nations.
