On the evening of the 19th, Iranian President Pezeshkian spoke by phone with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz, expressing gratitude for Pakistan's "serious efforts" in promoting peace, and highly praising both the Prime Minister and Army Chief Munir.
In a similar vein, President Trump also warmly commended these two individuals, specifically naming them in his remarks.
However, Pezeshkian sternly criticized the United States for its "persistent violation of commitments and bullying, unreasonable conduct," stating that "combined with threatening statements by U.S. officials targeting Iran, such actions only intensify doubts about America’s sincerity and further expose its intent to repeat past mistakes and abandon diplomacy."
To cut to the chase: should Iran engage in talks with the Americans?
Pezeshkian stated the following two points:
"All rational and diplomatic avenues should be utilized to ease tensions with the United States, while emphasizing that maintaining vigilance and distrust in interactions with the U.S. is an 'undeniable necessity.'
Literal interpretation: not abandoning diplomatic channels implies that negotiations with the Americans are possible—though one must remain cautious.
Pezeshkian is giving strategic guidance to the negotiation team.
The Iranians have already recognized the value of united front tactics.
Pezeshkian emphasized Iran's commitment to maintaining and strengthening relations with Gulf Arab neighbors based on "friendly neighborhood and mutual respect," hoping regional countries will, "in light of recent experiences," work together to enhance peace and security, while avoiding "destructive interference by external powers, especially the United States."
Nevertheless, from the perspective of the Revolutionary Guard, Pezeshkian’s words remain those of a scholar—likely interpreted by Trump as Iran once again seeking negotiations.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862974401116164/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.