Defiant Iranian president says Tehran will not forfeit nuclear rights ‘even under the most difficult pressure’

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad struck a defiant tone on Thursday two days ahead of key atomic talks with major powers, saying the Islamic state would not surrender its nuclear rights “even under the most difficult pressure”.

Talks between Iran and the United States, France, Germany, China, Russia and Britain are set to resume in Istanbul on Saturday with the major powers hoping Iran will give enough ground to continue negotiations and avert the threat of a Middle East war. They are the first such talks in more than a year.

Iran has promised to put forward “new initiatives” but has given no details.

“You should know that the Iranian nation is insisting on its fundamental rights and even under the most difficult pressure will not retreat even one iota from its rights,” Ahmadinejad said of the upcoming talks, according to the official IRNA news agency. Read more.