Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has called for an end to the country’s current state of ‘neither war nor peace’ with the United States and announced that Tehran is open to negotiations but will not give in to pressure or threats, President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly said.
Follow US-Iran war live updates here. US President Donald Trump has threatened to launch another round of strikes against Iran in recent weeks, leading Tehran to warn of a strong response. The US has repeatedly rejected the proposal.
With the conflict continuing and efforts to reach a diplomatic settlement facing major hurdles, Pezeshkian said Khamenei had directed officials to end the ongoing “no-war, no-peace situation”, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. He said Iran should avoid war if negotiations could help secure its rights. However, he also said that the country would not give in to pressure, stating, “We will not surrender to force and bullying. Iran has said the agreement could be finalised within two days, but US secretary of state Marco Rubio dismissed the conditions on Sunday, calling them “outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic”.
Speaking at an event on Monday, Pezeshkian said, “We can negotiate with dignity and bring the issue to an end with dignity. On Sunday, however, Trump said he was unlikely to order fresh attacks as long as negotiations to end the conflict continued.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei defended the proposal on Monday, describing it as the most reasonable offer currently available.
