Iran has hardened its tone towards the United States and Israel, hinting at a response to any new attack, while at the same time maintaining its readiness to negotiate its nuclear program, at a time when countries in the region continue their contacts and efforts to push the dialogue between Tehran and Washington and to reduce the escalation.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that negotiating with the United States is useless in light of what he described as Washington's reneging on its pledges, launching attacks and assassinations, and imposing sanctions and pressure on Iran, at a time when Tehran intensified its warnings against any new American or Israeli military action.
During his meeting with the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ararat Mirzoyan, in Tehran, Pezeshkian said that Iran was subjected to attacks after three rounds of dialogue, considering that this indicates, from his point of view, that Washington does not seek to negotiate, but rather to change the Iranian regime.
He added that Tehran is ready for dialogue and verification regarding its nuclear program, but he said that international inspections reveal Iranian sites and facilities, and then these sites are attacked and Iranian scientists are killed.
Pezeshkian said that, according to him, Iran has proven the sincerity of its intentions regarding its nuclear activities, noting that “the largest percentage of inspections and oversight conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency in the world” is linked to Iran.
He added that the United States continues to pressure Tehran based on what he described as “false allegations.”
Pezeshkian said that he announced in his speech before the United Nations General Assembly Iran's readiness for dialogue and investigation regarding its nuclear activities, but he wondered about the feasibility of allowing inspectors to enter Iran if information about the sites they visit is later used to target it.
He added that any negotiation must take into account what he described as Iran's rights under international law, criticizing the attacks on nuclear facilities, scientists, and scientific and university centers.
He said that, from his point of view, the United States attacked Iran and then returned to talking about negotiation, and he considered this evidence of what he described as “deception.”
He concluded by saying that “there is no point in negotiating with an enemy that breaks promises and practices assassination, siege, pressure, and threats every day,” adding that the Iranian people “do not accept such an approach.”
Open door
Despite Pezeshkian's tone, Iranian government spokeswoman Fatima Mohajerani said that Tehran is ready to engage in negotiations and is not afraid of them.
Mohajerani added that Iran will defend the country “whether through negotiation or through war,” adding that “logic requires that we choose the path of dialogue; But we will not give up our rights under any circumstances.”
The varying statements between toughness towards Washington and emphasis on readiness for dialogue reflect an Iranian position that seeks to keep the negotiation option alive, while at the same time emphasizing that any agreement will not, from Tehran’s point of view, be at the expense of what it considers its nuclear rights or security interests.
Warnings of a military response
In another indication of the hardening of Iranian rhetoric, Defense Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Reza Talaei said on Tuesday that the armed forces have identified targets that could be targeted if Iran is subjected to a new attack.
Talaei added, in a press conference, that Iran is currently working on what he described as “consolidating” what it achieved during the war, and said that “the enemy’s repeated evils” will be faced with a decisive response, warning that any new military action by the United States or Israel will lead to “severer defeats” for the opponent, as he put it.
Talaei did not reveal the nature of the targets he said the armed forces had identified.
He said that the post-war stage requires, as he described it, continued efforts to enhance defense capacity, adding that the armed forces will continue to prepare to confront any threat.
Opening and closing “Hormuz”.
For his part, Ali Nikzad, Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, said that the armed forces and the Iranian people are ready to respond to any attack.
In a speech before the start of the agenda of a parliamentary session, Nikzad referred to the US President’s statements regarding Iran, and said that the United States is trying, as he described it, to use “media work and noise” to cover up what he considered its defeat against Iran.
Nikzad also spoke about the Strait of Hormuz, saying that its opening or closing “is determined by fuel price screens in America; No tweets.
Nikzad considered the threats issued by the US President to be related to US internal politics and the elections, and said that they had “no field value,” but at the same time he stressed that Iran was ready to implement a “more solid and destructive” response to any new military action.
Nikzad called on neighboring countries to regulate their relations with Iran, saying that security and economy in the region can only be achieved through cooperation between their countries.
On Tuesday, the US Central Command (Centcom) announced that its forces have so far forced 130 commercial ships that intended to enter or leave Iranian ports to change their course, as part of the implementation of the US naval blockade imposed on Iran.
Regional movements
On the diplomatic side, the Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman said that contacts and visits are continuing with the aim of achieving progress in the course of talks between Washington and Tehran.
He added that Qatar supports any initiative taken by countries in the region, including the “Makkah Al-Mukarramah Pact,” as long as it aims to achieve stability. He said that Doha is open to visiting the Iranian side to learn about the latest developments.
In Doha, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, received Iranian Interior Minister Eskander Momeni. The Qatari Emiri Diwan said that Sheikh Tamim discussed with believers developments in the region and efforts aimed at reducing the escalation.
Military and economic messages
In Tehran, the Secretary-General of the Iranian National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, said that, according to him, the United States had lost the military war, and that it “will fail in the economic war as well.”
In the same context, the ISNA agency quoted the Iranian army spokesman as saying that the army possesses a large stock of new equipment, and that it will be revealed “at the appropriate time.”
The spokesman said that the army produced new defensive and offensive equipment, including missiles and drones, on a daily basis during what he described as the “imposed war,” and that the production process is still continuing.
He added that a large stock of this equipment is currently available to the armed forces.
These statements come at a time when communications between Tehran and Washington are still stuck on fundamental differences regarding the terms and path of any negotiation.
Last Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that there is no military solution to the conflict, and there is no solution based on imposing new sanctions.
Washington and Tehran have not announced the resumption of direct negotiations, while countries in the region continue their contacts to advance the path of dialogue and reduce escalation.
The issues of the “Iranian nuclear program,” “sanctions,” the “Strait of Hormuz,” and “regional security” remain among the most prominent points of disagreement between the two sides.
Statements issued by institutions indicate: The Iranian Presidency, Ministry of Defense, and Parliament indicated that Tehran seeks to keep the door to negotiation open in principle, while raising the cost of any potential military strike by threatening a broader response.
