TEHRAN — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday that now is the “best time” for Iran and the United States to reach an agreement, arguing that outstanding disputes cannot be resolved through war alone and should be addressed through dialogue.
“When people talk about reaching an agreement, I believe now is the best time, because there is cohesion, strength and unity in the country,” Pezeshkian said at his second news conference since taking office.
He said Iran was viewed as having emerged from the conflict “victorious and strong,” creating an opportunity to pursue an agreement while defending the country’s rights and interests.
According to the semi-official ISNA news agency, Pezeshkian said Tehran could pursue its rights through dialogue and sought “nothing beyond the rights of the country and its people.”
“The issues cannot be resolved through war alone,” he said, reaffirming his government’s commitment to pursuing peace based on the memorandum of understanding signed with Washington in June.
“We are trying to move toward peace based on the provisions of the memorandum,” Pezeshkian said.
He said Tehran remained committed to making the memorandum the basis of its approach, provided Washington took steps to rebuild trust.
“We are determined to make the memorandum the basis of our approach, provided the United States abandons the atmosphere of distrust it has created and trust can be rebuilt,” he said, while maintaining that Washington remained “untrustworthy” from Tehran’s perspective.
In separate remarks carried by the official IRNA news agency, Pezeshkian stressed that pursuing diplomacy had not changed Iran’s longstanding position toward the United States.
“The US is colonialist, the US is criminal, and the Islamic Republic remains the Islamic Republic. There is no doubt about that,” he said.
Pezeshkian nevertheless argued that diplomacy had compelled Washington to negotiate with Tehran.
“The very fact that we held talks and pursued diplomacy forced the US to come to the table and reach an agreement and understanding with Iran,” he said.
The Iranian president also rejected domestic criticism of the June memorandum, insisting that Tehran had not surrendered any of its interests or positions.
“You will not find a single clause in the memorandum in which we gave anything away,” he said, adding that Iran “stands firmly” behind what it signed.
Pezeshkian accused Washington of violating the memorandum by pursuing alternative shipping arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz rather than adhering to procedures to be jointly agreed by Iran and Oman.
He said disagreements over alleged violations should be addressed through mechanisms established under the memorandum, expressing hope that its implementation would continue “with dignity and honor” for Iran.
Pezeshkian also defended Iran’s negotiating team, describing its members as “dedicated, expert and hardworking” and saying criticism directed at them was unfair.
Separately, he said his administration was working with the heads of Iran’s three branches of government and the Supreme National Security Council to ease internet restrictions while taking security and infrastructure considerations into account.
Source: Saudi Gazette