Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian has warned that his country faces the risk of further conflict with the United States unless diplomacy is pursued.
Speaking at a meeting with media executives on August 10, Pezeshkian criticized opponents of talks with Washington over Tehran’s nuclear program, saying the United States would simply strike Iran’s nuclear facilities again if they were rebuilt.
The United States joined Israel’s aerial campaign against Iran on June 22, bombing the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities with B-2 bombers and Tomahawk missiles — strikes that US President Donald Trump said “completely destroyed” the facilities.
Pezeshkian said that while surrendering is “not in our nature,” quarreling would not get Tehran anywhere.
“Suppose you don’t want to negotiate, what do you want to do then? Go to war?” Pezeshkian said.
His remarks were immediately met with criticism from the Tasnim News Agency, which is an affiliate of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
“When the enemy hears these words, what decision will they make and what impression will they form of Iran? Clearly, the only impression they can get is one of Iranian ‘weakness’,” Tasnim wrote in an editorial.
It added that the president’s position projects a “weak and desperate” image of the Iranian government.
Hossein Shariatmadari, the chief editor of Kayhan and an appointee of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also slammed Pezeshkian for his insistence on talks with Washington.
He claimed, without evidence, that both the United States and Israel had “openly admitted their defeat” during the 12-day war in June, and alleged that Washington had come “pleading” for talks with Iran.
“What’s strange is that some of our own officials…have fallen for the false dichotomy of negotiations versus war,” Shariatmadari wrote on August 12.
Last month, Iran held talks with European powers over its nuclear program, with Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi saying discussions will continue but no new dates have been announced.
European governments have warned that unless significant progress is made in talks between Tehran and Washington by the end of August, they will begin the process of re-imposing UN sanctions against Iran — a move Iran has said would “end” Europe’s role in the nuclear dossier.
Iran and the United States were scheduled to hold a new round of talks on June 15, but the meeting was scrapped due to the war.
The two sides have yet to agree to meet, with Tehran saying it cannot trust Washington and the White House questioning whether there is any merit in further talks given the damage caused to Iran’s nuclear sites.
