Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he believes Iran can resolve its differences with the United States through dialogue, but trust would be an issue after U.S. and Israeli attacks on his country, according to an interview released on Monday.
Masoud Pezeshkian © Mena Today
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he believes Iran can resolve its differences with the United States through dialogue, but trust would be an issue after U.S. and Israeli attacks on his country, according to an interview released on Monday.
"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 U.S. podcaster Tucker Carlson in an interview conducted on Saturday.
The Iranian leader urged U.S. President Donald Trump not to be drawn into war with Iran by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who is visiting Washington on Monday for talks at the White House.
"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."
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said she was not sure if Trump had seen the Iranian president's comments, but agreed he was the right man to move the region towards peace.
Pezeshkian blamed Israel, Iran's arch-enemy, for the collapse of talks that were in place when Israel began its strikes on Iran on June 13, starting a 12-day air war with Israel in which top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists were killed.
"How are we going to trust the United States again?" Pezeshkian said. "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?"
Pezeshkian also said that Israel tried to assassinate him.
"They did try, yes," he said. "They acted accordingly, but they failed."
Israel did not immediately respond to the allegation. A senior Israeli military official said last month that Israel killed more than 30 senior security officials and 11 senior nuclear scientists in its attack on to Iran's nuclear sites.
Trump said he expected to discuss Iran and its nuclear ambitions with Netanyahu, praising the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as a tremendous success. On Friday, he told reporters that he believed Tehran's nuclear program had been set back permanently, although Iran could restart efforts elsewhere.
Iran has always denied seeking a nuclear weapon.
By Doina Chiacu
Two crew members of a Greek-managed vessel were wounded and two were missing in a drone attack off Yemen on Monday, hours after Iran-aligned Houthi militants claimed an assault on a bulk carrier in the Red Sea, saying the ship had sunk.
The Israeli military said it attacked Houthi targets in the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Salif, and Ras Qantib power plant in Yemen on Monday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met on Sunday with his Iranian counterpart at the BRICS summit, and restated Moscow's offer to help resolve disputes around Tehran's nuclear programme, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
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