Iran's president says ready for talks to end the state of 'neither war nor peace'

Statement by the President of Iran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that Tehran is open to negotiations to end the state of 'neither war nor peace' and seeks dialogue with the United States on the basis of mutual respect, but will not yield to pressure. Speaking at a ceremony, he said that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has instructed officials to put an end to this situation, according to Anadolu, citing a statement on the Iranian government's website.

Tehran's position

'We can negotiate with dignity and resolve the issue with dignity. We stand for dialogue and negotiations,' the agency quotes Pezeshkian as saying. According to him, logic demands that disputes be settled through negotiations rather than war, when a country's rights can be defended through dialogue, but 'we will not submit to force and bullying.' The president recalled his speech at the UN General Assembly: Iran seeks negotiations based on justice and equal terms and will not give up its rights under pressure. He also pointed to what he called the machinations of Iran's adversaries and stressed the importance of strengthening domestic production, energy conservation, and more efficient consumption to overcome economic and energy problems.

Context: the memorandum that failed

The statement came amid diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Tehran and Washington following the US and Israeli military offensive against Iran that began on February 28. In June, after talks mediated by Pakistan, the countries signed the 14-point Islamabad Memorandum, but disagreements over its implementation and a new escalation of military tensions prevented a lasting settlement. Thus, Pezeshkian's words signal readiness for dialogue while maintaining the previous conditions, but do not amount to a breakthrough: the fate of the already signed memorandum remains the main obstacle.