Iran open to renewed nuclear talks with US if trust rebuilt, says President Pezeshkian
World
Iranian leader urges Washington to resist Netanyahu’s 'forever war' agenda
(Web Desk) – Iran is willing to resume nuclear negotiations with the United States, President Masoud Pezeshkian has said, but only if Washington can re-establish trust following recent hostilities.
In an interview released on Monday with former US television host Tucker Carlson, the Iranian president stated, “We see no problem in re-entering the negotiations,” but added that Tehran requires guarantees that attacks like those in June will not recur.
The comments come just weeks after a dramatic escalation between Iran and Israel, during which the United States also conducted strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The clashes disrupted an anticipated round of nuclear talks that had been scheduled between Washington and Tehran.
“How are we going to trust the US again?” Pezeshkian asked during the interview. “We re-entered the negotiations, then how can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks, the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us?”
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ALLEGED
President Pezeshkian further accused Israel of attempting to assassinate him amid the conflict. “They did try, yes. They acted accordingly, but they failed,” he said, claiming that a meeting he was attending was targeted in an Israeli airstrike.
The mid-June Israeli bombardment reportedly killed hundreds in Iran, including senior military commanders and nuclear scientists. Iranian retaliation with missiles and drones killed 28 people in Israel, according to officials. The brief but intense conflict ended with a ceasefire on 24 June, which has held thus far.
WARNING AGAINST ‘FOREVER WARS’
Pezeshkian criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the region, accusing him of drawing the US into endless conflict. “The US administration should refrain from getting involved in a war that is not America’s war, it is Netanyahu’s war,” he warned.
He also addressed fears surrounding Iran’s nuclear intentions. “We have never been after developing a nuclear bomb,” he said, citing a religious decree by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei forbidding such weapons.
Finally, Pezeshkian sought to reassure Americans of Iran’s posture. “Iran has never invaded another country in the last 200 years,” he said, clarifying that slogans like “Death to America” are directed at perceived injustice and aggression, not the American people themselves.
