Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said on Wednesday that Iran’s nuclear industry is advancing alongside leading countries in the field despite US sanctions and military attacks. He described the sector as operating at a level comparable with the world’s top nuclear-industry states.

Eslami said Tehran’s adversaries allege that Iran’s nuclear programme is not peaceful because they want to weaken the country. He argued that they know the reality of the programme and that their actions demonstrate an aim to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from progressing.

Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and intended for civilian uses, particularly nuclear power generation. The source says US President Trump stated that he began a war against Iran with Israel to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, while US intelligence assessments had said Iran was not planning to build a nuclear bomb. Reports have also suggested Iran could become more interested in seeking nuclear weapons after the war.