The Guardian: Iran No Longer Trusts Trump and the US
Today 11:23
Masoud Pezeshkian. Photo
Commentator Patrick Wintour of The Guardian wrote that Tehran no longer trusts Donald Trump. Nevertheless, a nuclear agreement is still possible, as Iran has not rejected negotiations.
In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Israel had tried to assassinate him by attacking the area where he was holding a meeting.
"Yes, they tried. They took corresponding actions, but it didn't succeed."
He said this in response to Tucker Carlson's sharp question.
This translated interview was one of the first interviews that the Iranian president gave to Western media after the 12-day war between Iran and Israel last month.
"The assassination attempt on my life was not carried out by the United States, but by Israel. I was holding a meeting... They (Israeli forces) tried to attack the area where we were holding our meeting," he said, but did not clearly state whether the failed assassination occurred during the recent war.
US President Donald Trump has stated that he "vetoed" an Israeli assassination plan against Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Khamenei has not appeared publicly for nearly three weeks, but he attended a religious ceremony in Tehran over the weekend, which pleased government supporters and brought them relief. Previously, he had appeared in videos three times, each time looking pale but in acceptable condition.
If an assassination attempt were made on Pezeshkian, who was elected last summer, Israel would take a new principled step. This would indicate that Israel is not only trying to weaken Iran's military leadership and nuclear program, but also attempting to destroy the country's political leadership. During the 12-day war, Trump repeatedly expressed support for regime change, but as the conflict continued, he seemed to have changed his mind. Now he talks about reaching a long-term agreement with Iran, but it remains unknown what specific conditions the US is prepared to propose to Tehran.
Israel claims that during the 12-day war, it has severely damaged Tehran's nuclear ambitions, killing more than 30 senior security officials and 11 top nuclear scientists. Israel also claims that it and the US have destroyed three key nuclear facilities in Iran.
Pezeshkian and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have not limited their public activities. They are not afraid of appearing publicly, attending mourning ceremonies within Iran, and refusing to go abroad. Pezeshkian attended a summit in Azerbaijan, while Araghchi visited Brazil, Egypt, and Russia.
"This war was not started by us, and we do not want it to continue," said Pezeshkian.
He has always claimed that the main goal of his presidential campaign was to achieve national unity within the country and develop friendly relations with Iran's neighbors. In an interview with Carlson, Pezeshkian said that Tehran is ready to restart nuclear negotiations with the US, but there are trust issues.
"We don't see any problem in restarting the negotiations. But how can we trust the US again? What guarantees do we have that during the negotiations, the Israeli regime won't be given permission to attack us again?" he asked.
Pezeshkian also denied reports that Tehran was planning to assassinate US President Donald Trump. When asked whether the International Atomic Energy Agency would be allowed to conduct nuclear inspections in Iran again, Pezeshkian responded:
"We have not yet fully assessed the extent of the damage to the nuclear facilities. Due to the severe damage, we cannot enter these facilities at the moment. Once access is restored, we will consider the possibility of inspections. The International Atomic Energy Agency's failure to condemn these violations of international law has led to a decline in trust among the Iranian people towards it."
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7524675372861129259/
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