President Pezeshkian: Iran open to talks but fully prepared to crush enemy in event of aggression

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says Iran is fully prepared to give a “teeth-breaking response” to any aggression by the enemy but remains open to dialogue as a favorable means of resolving the differences.

Pezeshkian made the remarks during an interview with NBC News's Lester Holt in the capital, Tehran, stressing that Iran is neither afraid of war nor seeking one, when he was asked about the possibility of a military attack against the Islamic Republic.

“Such military attacks will undoubtedly be detrimental to the region and the world. Iran is neither Gaza nor Syria. Iran has the power to give a teeth-breaking response to these attacks, but we have never sought to create conflict in the region,” the Iranian president stressed.

When asked how Iran would react if the United States and Israel attacked the country to halt its nuclear program, Pezeshkian said, “Naturally, we will give an appropriate reaction to any action taken against us.”

“We are not afraid of war, but we are not seeking it either. What they are talking about is an attack on land and equipment, but what we have gained is our thoughts, skills, and capabilities, which cannot be destroyed,” he emphasized.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Pezeshkian said that Iran is ready for talks with the United States and Europe based on dignity, wisdom, and equal terms. 

“We are ready for dialogue; we accept an equal conversation that considers our dignity and wisdom, and we will not submit to force in any way,” he stressed.

Back in 2015, Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany finally reached an agreement over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program after 21 months of negotiations.

The landmark deal - formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - required Iran to scale back some of its nuclear activities in return for the lifting of cruel sanctions imposed on the country, especially those by the US.

However, in May 2018, then-US president Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the UNSC-endorsed agreement, imposing severe economic sanctions against Tehran while Iran was adhering to its commitments under the deal and even continued to do so for a year after the US withdrawal.

Despite Washington’s deceitful behavior, Iran continued to abide by the agreement in full for over a year between 2018 and 2019, as a demonstration of goodwill and to provide the US with a ramp for a possible return to the deal.

Reacting to the counter-party’s non-commitment to its obligations, Tehran initiated a set of retaliatory nuclear steps, including activating more advanced centrifuges. Over the past few years, Iran has been stepping up the measures in response to the other parties' continued refusal to uphold their obligations under the nuclear deal.

Iran has repeatedly stressed that its nuclear program is peaceful in nature.

“Currently, dialogue between Iran and European countries continues. We are certainly not seeking to undermine the global perspective on tranquility and security. It is they who are trying to force us into a situation that does not exist in the mind and beliefs of our Leader [of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei] and the Iranian authorities. They are doing everything to say that Iran wants to develop a nuclear bomb, justifying their actions accordingly. This narrative is entirely unacceptable,” Pezeshkian stressed.

Iran, confident of peaceful nature of its nuclear program, never left negotiation table: FM

Iran asserts that it has never acted as the party to leave the negotiation table due to its confidence in the peaceful nature of its nuclear energy program.

When asked whether Iran is ready to hold direct talks with the US on its nuclear energy program, the Iranian president said that the Islamic Republic has always been ready for negotiations. However, he added that Iran’s concern is while Tehran engages in negotiations and adheres to agreements, the other side resorts to pressure, stressing that this is what has rendered talks unfruitful.

“We cannot have sanctions imposed on us every day and then come to the negotiating table. What should we believe in? If you genuinely want peace and tranquility in the region, why do you threaten and sanction us every day? Why do you send people to assassinate innocent individuals in society? If you truly seek peace, what is the purpose of these actions?” Pezeshkian emphasized.

“Our problem is not with dialogue; our problem is with adhering to commitments that must be upheld after the dialogue. Unfortunately, when we engage in discussions and make commitments to each other, there is a lack of adherence to those commitments,” he stressed.

The Islamic Republic, though, has vowed to respond in kind to any positive measures on the part of the other parties to the nuclear agreement.

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