DUBAI (Reuters) – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will not be able to ignore its arch-enemy the United States and must “treat its enemies with tolerance,” state media reported on Tuesday, a week after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election. election.
“Whether we like it or not, we will have to deal with the US in the regional and international arenas, so it is better to manage this relationship ourselves,” said Pezeshkian, who is considered relatively moderate.
“We must treat our friends generously and treat our enemies with patience.”
In 2018, then-President Trump canceled Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and reimposed tough sanctions as part of his “maximum pressure” policy against Iran.
While there are no reports that the Trump administration plans to hold talks with Tehran after taking office in January, the president-elect said during his election campaign: “I don’t want to hurt Iran, but they can’t have nuclear weapons. “
Under the administration of US President Joe Biden, indirect talks between Washington and Tehran were launched to revive the nuclear deal, but they failed. Iran is still formally part of the deal but has scaled back commitments to honor it due to US sanctions reimposed on the Islamic Republic.
Earlier on Tuesday, government spokesman Fatemeh Mohajerani said Iran will pursue whatever safeguards its interests when asked whether direct talks could take place with the Trump administration.
She warned that the final decision on the talks rests with top political figure Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Supreme National Security Council.
“Trump’s maximum pressure campaign has failed, even as it burdens people. What matters are actions and not words, but we urge Trump to take into account the failures of his past policies,” Mohajerani added.
