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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that continuing the war with the United States was not in his country’s interest, following a fresh military flare-up between the two countries.
“We continue to strive for a path of agreement and understanding, and we believe that continuing the war is neither in our interest, nor in the interest of the region,” Pezeshkian said during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan.
“We believe that the solution to the existing problems is dialogue and cooperation, and all capacities must be used to prevent the spread of insecurity and conflict,” he added, according to a statement from the Iranian presidency.
His remarks came after U.S. forces attacked Iran’s Larak Island, marking the first exchange of fire in a month between Iran and the United States around the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran responded with strikes on bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates that it said were used by the U.S. military.
The United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with senior military officials.
Iran retaliated with attacks across the region as the conflict spread.
An April ceasefire ended the most intense fighting, but sporadic attacks, mainly around the Strait of Hormuz, have dimmed prospects for a final peace agreement.
Washington has also recently intensified economic pressure on Tehran with a campaign it calls the “economic asphyxiation” of Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated that Iran must never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons, describing the country’s leadership as “very violent, evil people.”
“You cannot let them have a nuclear weapon, and they won’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told Fox News in an interview published Sunday.
He argued that Tehran would have used a nuclear weapon if it had acquired one, claiming that the Middle East “would have essentially been gone” and that Israel would have been destroyed, with the United States or Europe possibly becoming the next targets.
“If I weren't president, Israel would be gone. There would be no Israel. And there would probably be no Middle East,” Trump said.
Trump also said the United States was inflicting significant damage on Iran and praised what he described as an effective blockade.
“We are doing a great job. The blockade has been unbelievable ... we are hitting them very hard. Nobody has ever been hit like this,” he said.
Trump called Iran a “failing nation” and said he was surprised when Tehran began targeting Gulf countries at the start of the war.
“Everybody was shocked. I was surprised,” he said, adding that he believed the attacks caused Iran to lose support.
Trump also accused Democrats of wanting the United States to lose its wars against Iran and Venezuela.
He said that would not happen because the country is “absolutely winning easily.”
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