President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Iran is open to direct talks with the United States if Washington proves through actions that it is no longer hostile toward Tehran.
“We are not hostile towards the US. They should end their hostility towards us by showing their goodwill in practice. We are brothers with the Americans as well.”
“We do not want to fight with America if it respects our rights. It is not us who are hostile (to the Americans). We have not built military bases around their country,” the Iranian president said.
Reuters reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the possibility of direct talks with the United States during a news conference in Tehran, in response to a question about reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, claiming it was overly favorable to Iran, and re-imposed severe sanctions on Tehran. In response, Iran allegedly began to gradually violate the agreement’s nuclear development restrictions.
After taking office in 2021, President Joe Biden attempted to restore the nuclear deal, under which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. However, Tehran refused direct negotiations with Washington, relying instead on European and Arab intermediaries.
Addressing recent sanctions imposed by U.S. allies over allegations of ballistic missile deliveries to Moscow, President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that his government has not transferred any weapons to Russia since taking office in August. However, he acknowledged, “It is possible that a delivery occurred in the past.”
President Masoud Pezeshkian defended Iran’s missile program, stating it is a necessary deterrent against Israel, which he urged to disarm first if the West wants Iran to halt its missile development. On the domestic front, he also promised that the morality police would no longer harass women, marking the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death. Pezeshkian emphasized that the morality police were never meant to confront women and pledged to address the issue.
