'Can Have Dialogue With Dignity, But Will Not Surrender to Force and Bullying': Iraninan President Pezeshkian

Tehran, Iran: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran remains open to dialogue and negotiations but will not yield to pressure or coercion, insisting any talks must be based on justice and equal terms.

Speaking on Sunday at a ceremony marking the 72nd anniversary of the Iranian Milk Industries Company (Pegah), Pezeshkian referred to what he called attempts by Iran’s “enemies” -- the United States and Israel -- to strike the country.

“The Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei] ordered us to end the situation of neither war nor peace,” he said, according to the Iranian news agency ISNA.

“We can talk with dignity and end the issue with dignity. We are people of dialogue and negotiation, and logic dictates that if we can get our rights through dialogue, we should not get ourselves involved in war. But we will not surrender to force and bullying,” Pezeshkian added. He reiterated points from his September address to the UN General Assembly, stressing that Iran seeks engagement “based on justice and on equal and fair terms” and will not submit to force.

The comments came as Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Monday that Iran’s two-day proposal to resolve the ongoing crisis remains on the table. He asserted that security in the Strait of Hormuz could be restored within 48 hours if the United States meets Tehran’s demands.

“Iran’s two-day plan is the most reasonable possible plan and remains on the table; if the United States meets Iran’s demands, the region will see positive developments within two days, and security will return to the Strait of Hormuz,” Baghaei told a weekly press conference, according to IRNA. He described the proposal as a demonstration of goodwill and dismissed claims by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Iran’s demands were irrational.

Baghaei said Iran’s conditions -- including the lifting of the economic blockade and an end to hostilities on all fronts -- are logical and must be met before negotiations resume.

“What is irrational and absurd is the US attack on Iran in the middle of negotiations. By any logic, norm or standard, the US attack was not only absurd, illegal and irrational, but also criminal,” he said.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted that diplomatic efforts had slowed following the US election results. “US election results have shocked the mediators’ shuttle diplomacy; we need to wait a little. There has been no movement over the past few days… It will take some time for the situation to calm down and for conditions to become favourable again for mediators to resume their visits. We need to be a little patient,” he said.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that fresh military strikes against Iran remain “highly unlikely” provided negotiations continue to advance, though he did not rule them out entirely. In a telephone interview with CNN, Trump said Washington had already delivered a crushing blow to Tehran.

“It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” he noted, referring to Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump said American forces had identified critical infrastructure targets, including power plants and bridges, and claimed authorities could destroy 38 bridges in an hour.

“Most likely it will not be necessary,” he reiterated. “They want to make a deal so badly,” he said.

Also Read: Mistress or Spy? Who’s Alice, the Chinese Woman at the Heart of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s Honeytrap Scandal?