Pezeshkian questioned opponents of diplomacy in a speech that quickly triggered a fierce backlash from hardline media and politicians.
“If we do not negotiate, then what should we do? Fight forever?” the president said Monday, adding that any talks with Washington would be conducted “with dignity.” He also argued that authorities must speak honestly to the public in order to maintain trust.
The reformist newspaper Sazandegi turned the president’s question into its front-page headline, framing it as a direct challenge to hardline rhetoric.
The reaction from hardline outlets close to the Paydari (Steadfastness) Party was swift.
Raja News described Pezeshkian’s remarks as “deviational” and accused him of becoming “a platform for the pro-Western current.”
In an editorial published Tuesday, the outlet wrote that insistence on negotiations with an enemy that “understands nothing but force” showed that “even the warnings of missiles are not enough to awaken simplistic minds that are comforted by the lullaby of negotiations.”
Hardline lawmaker Hamid Rasaei also attacked the administration during a speech at a pro-government gathering, arguing that negotiations with the United States had repeatedly failed and would bring no benefit to Iran.
Diplomacy continued amid such voices on Wednesday as Pezeshkian met Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is in Tehran to help exchange messages between Iran and Washington.
Pezeshkian said afterward that Iran had “consistently honored its commitments and explored every avenue to avert war,” adding that “all paths remain open from our side.”
The debate quickly spread across Persian-language social media, where hardline activists accused the president of weakness while supporters praised his candor and argued that acknowledging economic strain was necessary to maintain public trust during wartime.
The controversy also expanded beyond diplomacy into a broader dispute over whether Iranian officials should openly acknowledge the country’s economic and wartime difficulties.
In recent speeches, Pezeshkian warned against presenting an unrealistic image of Iran by pretending enemies were collapsing while Iran itself faced no economic strain. He spoke openly about oil export problems, gasoline shortages and the pressure created by sanctions and war.
Raja News accused the president of “displaying misery and backwardness” and “painting a bleak picture during wartime.”
The outlet mocked what it called his “latest masterpieces,” including remarks such as: “They blocked our path and we are not exporting oil,” “our gasoline production capacity has declined,” and “do we even have dollars at all?”
The backlash also exposed widening tensions within conservative circles, particularly between the ultrahardline Paydari camp and allies of parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Raja News criticized media outlets close to Ghalibaf for failing to sufficiently challenge the president’s comments, while some hardline activists accused the speaker of enabling Pezeshkian’s approach.
Following the criticism, Ghalibaf issued an audio message defending the government against what he described as politically motivated attacks.
Ghalibaf warned that some critics were speaking “as if no war had happened,” accusing politically motivated figures of blaming the government while ignoring broader realities.
Supporters of the president meanwhile defended his unusually candid tone.
Lawyer Yazdollah Taherinasab wrote on X that Pezeshkian’s willingness to speak openly about both the country’s strengths and weaknesses had increased public trust during wartime conditions.
