Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian mentioned Monday that Iran doesn’t search a wider battle within the Middle East and that such a battle would haven’t any winners.
“We don’t need battle. … We need to dwell in peace,” Pezeshkian informed reporters throughout a go to to New York for the U.N. General Assembly assembly.
“We don’t want to be the reason for instability within the area.”
Pezeshkian referred to as for dialogue to resolve the risky scenario within the Middle East and blamed Israel for stoking tensions and instigating battle, citing assassinations in Tehran and elsewhere that he mentioned Israel had carried out.
“We know greater than anybody else that if a bigger battle had been to erupt within the Middle East, it is not going to profit anybody all through the world. It is Israel that seeks to create this wider battle,” he mentioned.
U.S. officers worry the prospect of an all-out battle between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group backed by Iran. Israeli airstrikes killed greater than 180 individuals and wounded nearly 730 on Monday, Lebanon’s Health Ministry mentioned, a dramatic growth of Israel’s aerial assault.
Pezeshkian additionally slammed the U.S. and different Western international locations for what he referred to as double requirements as they criticized Iran over human rights however ignored Israel’s “atrocities” in Gaza.
Asked about the potential for negotiating a brand new settlement with the U.S. about its nuclear program, Pezeshkian mentioned Iran is not in a brand new nuclear deal however in a return to the 2015 nuclear accord that the U.S. pulled out of in 2018.
“Let’s return to the first step,” he mentioned.
If all sides lived as much as that settlement, Tehran would possibly contemplate new talks, he mentioned.
Pezeshkian, who was elected this 12 months and portrays himself as a relative average, additionally mentioned Iran couldn’t dictate to Houthi forces which are attacking transport within the Red Sea. The Houthis, he mentioned, had been reacting to what he referred to as the unjust plight of Palestinians in Gaza.
“How can we ask them to abstain?” he mentioned. “They are attempting to cease genocide.”
Pezeshkian, requested about assessments by U.S. intelligence businesses that Iran was making an attempt to advertise campus protests within the U.S. in opposition to Israel, rejected the accusation and mentioned it was “infantile.”
People around the globe are protesting as a result of they’re outraged on the scenario in Gaza and don’t have to be bribed to take to the streets, he added.
The U.S. and its allies say Iran has provided Russia with armed drones and ballistic missiles for its battle in opposition to Ukraine, which Pezeshkian denied.
He mentioned Iran opposes “Russian aggression” in opposition to Ukraine and referred to as for dialogue to resolve the battle.
In an interview with NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell, Iran’s vp for strategic affairs, Mohammad Javad Zarif, echoed Pezeshkian’s feedback and mentioned his authorities was able to work with different international locations to finish the battle in Gaza.
“We need to transfer in a extra peaceable, extra steady world for our residents and for the residents of the world. We don’t search battle, however we are going to defend ourselves,” Zarif mentioned.
Zarif additionally mentioned Iran had the suitable to retaliate at a time of its selecting over what he referred to as a transparent violation of Iran’s sovereignty when the pinnacle of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated within the capital, Tehran, in July. Iran has blamed Israel for orchestrating the bombing. Israel has not publicly confirmed it was behind the assault.
After the assassination, Zarif mentioned, “we had been requested by the worldwide group to train restraint as a way to result in an finish to the battle in Gaza.” But the promise of a cease-fire deal by no means materialized, he mentioned.
Zarif performed a number one position within the negotiations for the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers when he was international minister. The settlement imposed strict limits on Iran’s nuclear program in return for an easing of U.S. and worldwide sanctions.
The Biden administration has expressed concern about Iran’s advancing nuclear program and its restrictions on U.N. inspections of nuclear websites. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has mentioned Tehran might produce sufficient weapons-grade uranium for an atomic bomb inside every week or two if selected to take action.
Zarif mentioned the U.S. had solely itself responsible, as he mentioned it was the U.S. that withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord throughout President Donald Trump’s administration.
“It was the miscalculation of the Trump administration that withdrew from the nuclear deal. It has been a lose-lose scenario,” Zarif mentioned.
Earlier Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi mentioned Tehran was “targeted on initiating a brand new spherical of nuclear negotiations.”
“We are ready, and if the opposite events are additionally ready, we will have one other starting of the talks throughout this journey,” he mentioned in a video on Telegram, including that he deliberate to remain in New York for an prolonged interval.
Trump withdrew the U.S. from the landmark Obama-era deal in 2018, complaining about Iran’s ballistic missile program and its deepening affect within the area. The transfer dismayed some American allies and prompted fury in Iran.
The U.S. will not be anticipating to speak to the Iranian authorities any time quickly, a senior Biden administration official mentioned Monday.
The official mentioned the U.S. continues to sign to Iranian officers what is predicted if its leaders are severe about altering the nation’s standing within the worldwide group. Yet Iran is promoting ballistic missiles to the Russian authorities, the U.S. official mentioned, a transfer that fuels the battle in Ukraine.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has warned of Iran’s continued enrichment of uranium past the wants of business nuclear use. Meanwhile, Iran has additionally blocked U.N. inspectors from visiting some websites in its nuclear program.
The full extent of Iran’s nuclear capabilities stays unclear. Iran has maintained that its nuclear program is for civilian, not army, functions.
Iran seems to be shifting its stance as Israel’s monthslong lethal offensive in Gaza nears the one-year mark after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 assaults.
It additionally comes because the U.S. prepares for a presidential election, now simply weeks away.
In his feedback, Araghchi mentioned the “worldwide scenario” might make it “tough to begin the negotiations.”