President: Iran ‘in principle’ open to talks with new US administration
‘I do hope that Trump will go for peace in the region’
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed the Islamic Republic’s readiness for negotiations with the second administration of his American counterpart, Donald Trump, on the country’s nuclear issues and removal of illegal US sanctions as he took Washington to task for breaching its commitments in the past and seeking to subvert the Iranian government.
Pezeshkian made the statement in a long interview with NBC News in Tehran on Tuesday, reiterating that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and the Islamic Republic is not after “nuclear weaponry.”
“The problem we have is not in dialogue. It’s in the commitments that arise from talk and dialogue that we’ll have to commit to,” Pezeshkian told NBC News host Lester Holt.
“We upheld all the commitments that we had to commit to,” when Iran held talks with major powers about its nuclear program, the Iranian president added. “But unfortunately, it was the other party that did not live up to its promises and obligations.”
Stressing that Iran in principle is open to dialogue with the second Trump administration, Pezeshkian said, “We have this doubt that, no matter how much we engage in conversation and dialogue, they are trying to topple the government, not solve the problems.”
He also reiterated that Iran does not aim to develop nuclear weapons despite allegations by the United States and its European allies.
Under the 2015 nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to certain restrictions on its civilian nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions targeting its economy.
Trump’s unprovoked and illegal withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 placed the fate of the deal in limbo. Tehran had remained compliant with the agreement—as repeatedly verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)—and continued to honor its terms for a year after the US withdrawal.
However, with European powers failing to counter US pressure, Iran began to reduce its nuclear commitments under the terms of the agreement.
During his first term, Trump implemented the so-called maximum pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic and several rounds of negotiations under President Joe Biden failed to bring the United States back into compliance with the landmark agreement.
‘We do not fear war’
Pointing to Trump’s threats that US ally Israel could strike Iranian nuclear facilities less than a week before his return to the White House, Pezeshkian asserted that Tehran would react to any action.
“You see, naturally enough, we will react to any action. We do not fear war, while we do not seek it either,” he said, adding, “I solemnly hope that this will not transpire because it will be to the detriment of all the actors, not only and merely us.”
Pezeshkian said Iran’s adversaries were accusing Tehran of trying to build a nuclear bomb “to fabricate some sort of a pretext,” stressing, “This is not true.”
Iran ‘never’ plotted to assassinate Trump
The Iranian president also dismissed the media stories that the Islamic Republic had been involved in a plot to assassinate Trump during last year’s US election campaign.
Asked about the reported plot against Trump outlined by US authorities, Pezeshkian said, “This is another one of those schemes that Israel and other countries are designing to promote Iranophobia. ... Iran has never attempted to nor does it plan to assassinate anyone.”
Asked whether Iran is willing to promise that there will be no attempt on Trump’s life, Pezeshkian said, “We have never attempted this to begin with, and we never will.”
The Iranian president also stressed Tehran’s efforts to ensure peace in the region.
“I do hope that Trump will go for peace in the region and the world not, conversely, contribute to bloodshed or war,” he said in part of the interview with NBC when asked about his message for the incoming US president.
Queried whether Iran had a role to play in brokering a possible ceasefire deal in Gaza, Pezeshkian said, “We do whatever we can in order for peace to prevail in the region.”
On the recent regional developments and the notion that the Axis of Resistance has suffered damages, the Iranian president said Tehran’s position had not been weakened.
“I do not see any link,” he said, adding that, “Comparing to last year inside the country, we’re more coherent. We’re more robust. We have better participation. We have a more solid security in the country.”