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‘Trump is capable enough…’: Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian says Tehran open to dialogue with US
Pezeshkian urged Trump not to be pulled into a war with Iran by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is visiting the White House.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that dialogue could resolve Tehran’s differences with Washington, but warned that trust remains a major obstacle following recent US and Israeli military actions against Iran.
“I am of the belief that we could very much easily resolve our differences and conflicts with the United States through dialogue and talks,” Pezeshkian told conservative US podcaster Tucker Carlson in an interview recorded on Saturday and released on Monday.
Pezeshkian urged Donald Trump not to be pulled into a war with Iran by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who landed in Washington for White House talks.
“The United States' president, Mr. Trump, he is capable enough to guide the region towards the peace and a brighter future and put Israel in its place. Or get into a pit, an endless pit, or a swamp,” Pezeshkian said. “So it is up to the United States president to choose which path,” he added.
Asked about the Iranian president's comments, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said she was not sure if Trump had seen them, but said she agreed he was the right person to guide the region towards peace.
Pezeshkian blames Israel for derailing talks with US
Pezeshkian blamed Israel for derailing negotiations that were ongoing when Israeli strikes began on June 13. The 12-day conflict, according to Tehran, led to the deaths of senior Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists.
“How are we going to trust the United States again?” Pezeshkian asked. “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?” he said.
He further alleged that Israel had attempted to assassinate him.
“They did try, yes,” he said. “They acted accordingly, but they failed.”
Israel has not yet responded to the accusation. However, a senior Israeli military official said last month that the country had targeted over 30 senior security officials and 11 senior nuclear scientists in its operations against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Meanwhile, President Trump said he planned to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme with Netanyahu and hailed the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as a major achievement.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump claimed the attacks had permanently set back Tehran’s nuclear capabilities, though he acknowledged Iran might attempt to restart the programme at other locations.
Iran has consistently denied that it is pursuing nuclear weapons.
With Reuters inputs
