Tehran has conditioned any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on a withdrawal of US forces from the region, while President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that his government is not pursuing nuclear weapons and that it remains open to talks — positions put forward as the standoff moves through its eighth month.

The army's spokesperson, Mohammad Akraminia, told reporters on Friday that a withdrawal of foreign forces from the region would pave the way for neighbouring states to build a shared security framework and contribute to steadier conditions in the global economy, adding that passage through the Strait of Hormuz would also become unimpeded under such an arrangement.

Separate developments unfolded on two diplomatic fronts: through a post on X, Akraminia put the party on notice that forcible removal awaited unless it stepped down voluntarily, while Pezeshkian, meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, conveyed that nuclear weapons held no place in his country's plans, expressed a readiness to engage through diplomatic channels, and raised objections to the US sanctions currently in effect.

The two leaders held talks on the margins of a United Nations biodiversity summit in Yerevan, Armenia's capital, where Pezeshkian, drawing on a statement issued by his office, asserted that his country had no pursuit of nuclear weapons and characterised hostile narratives directed at it as falsehoods, adding that a readiness for dialogue had always been present.

Pezeshkian characterised US measures against Tehran as unjustifiable and contrary to humanitarian principles, stating that any attempt to compel a change of position through external pressure would not succeed, while also expressing a desire to strengthen relations with Georgia — a country that had suspended air connections between the two nations in the weeks prior, following the introduction of US measures targeting Iranian airlines.

Trump told reporters he has no plans to deploy nuclear weapons against Iran or send ground forces into the country. During a Thursday evening broadcast, Trump told the interviewer that nuclear weapons were not something he would deploy, stating that option need not be taken.

Trump stated that the United States holds the position of foremost nuclear-armed nation, then responded to reports that the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast — a large conventional bomb referred to by the informal name "Mother of All Bombs" — was under consideration for deployment, noting that the weapon falls outside the nuclear category. He described the device as carrying no connection to nuclear activity whatsoever, characterising it as an oversized explosive with destructive energy concentrated into an extremely compact form. He described the weapon as a large conventional device, stopping short of addressing the circulating reports directly.

On the question of deploying ground troops to Iran, Trump stated that he did not anticipate such a move — a point he made twice in his response.

Separately, the MOAB carries no nuclear material and stands as the largest conventional bomb in the US military's arsenal. The weapon entered active battlefield use when it was deployed for the first time during the 2017 campaign against IS fighters operating in Afghanistan.