WASHINGTON — During a U.S. television interview on Sunday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi expressed skepticism about U.S.-led efforts to normalize Israeli relations with Gulf Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, saying they are unlikely to succeed.

In an interview with CNN, Raisi clarified that Iran had not rejected the presence of nuclear inspectors from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog in the country.

He emphasized that Iran had no objections to the U.N. nuclear watchdog inspecting its nuclear facilities, despite recent incidents where Tehran denied entry to several assigned inspectors.

Israel has moved closer to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco as part of a U.S.-led diplomatic initiative launched in 2020 aimed at promoting the normalization of relations.

Establishing diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, a country that houses some of Islam’s holiest sites, would represent a significant achievement for Israel and could potentially reshape the geopolitics of the Middle East.

Regarding Iran’s nuclear program, Raisi stated, “We have consistently maintained our opposition to the use of nuclear weapons or any form of weapons of mass destruction. Why? Because we neither believe in their use nor have any need for them.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has not indicated that we oppose the presence of inspectors here.”

Source: with agencies