Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday Tehran remains open to negotiations with the United States but will not yield to pressure, accusing Washington of using coercion and pressure while expecting Iran to accept unilateral demands.
“The problem is that the United States on the one hand pursues a policy of maximum pressure against our country, and on the other expects the Islamic Republic of Iran to come to the negotiating table and ultimately surrender to its unilateral demands; such an equation is impossible,” Pezeshkian said.
He said Iran had been targeted during past rounds of negotiations and warned that threats continued even as diplomatic efforts were underway.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has been attacked twice during negotiations, and now again, while the path of dialogue is ongoing, we are witnessing military deployments and threats,” he added.
He also addressed Western concerns over Iran’s nuclear program, saying Tehran had been willing to provide assurances under international frameworks.
“They claim Iran should not obtain nuclear weapons, while they assassinated the Supreme Leader, who had issued a clear religious decree prohibiting such weapons… Iran was fully prepared in all negotiations to provide whatever global norms require to ensure the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities,” he said.
Pezeshkian emphasized that Iran would continue to pursue its scientific and nuclear development within international regulations despite pressure.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran, within the framework of international law, is ready for any dialogue, but based on its beliefs, it will never submit to force… If they speak to us with logic, dialogue is possible, but the language of threats and bullying will lead nowhere,” he said.
He added that Iran does not seek conflict and remains open to resolving disputes with regional countries through diplomacy.
“We fundamentally do not consider war and insecurity a desirable option… we are fully ready to reach understanding with Islamic countries in the region, set common rules, and resolve all differences in the Persian Gulf and beyond through dialogue,” he said.
Pezeshkian also accused the United States of using regional bases to carry out attacks on Iran.
“We do not seek any conflict with our brothers in the region, but the reality is that from American bases in some regional countries, and using their space and facilities, our schools, hospitals and infrastructure were bombed,” he said.
