Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country is ready to “hit deep into Israel again,” if it comes under a new attack.
“We do not rely on the current ceasefire, and we are not optimistic about it,” Pezeshkian told Al-Jazeera Arabic in his first interview since the conflict with Israel and the United States last month.
Newsweek has reached out to the Israeli prime minister’s office for comment.
Why It Matters
The comments come as Iran faces threats of a renewed attack amid a fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Iran and Israel. The U.S. and Israel said air strikes caused substantial damage to Iran’s nuclear program, but have not completely destroyed it, raising the prospect of further attacks.
President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities if diplomacy fails, warning Tehran to abandon its ambitions to continue enriching uranium.
What To Know
“We are fully prepared for any new Israeli military provocation, and our armed forces are ready to strike deep inside Israel once again,” the Iranian president said, adding that Israel downplayed the damages of Iran’s strikes on its territory.
Israel accuses Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons and destabilizing the region through proxy forces like Hezbollah and the Houthis and has vowed to continue its campaign against Tehran and its allies across the Middle East. Israel is believed to have nuclear weapons itself.
Any negotiations with the U.S. must be based on ‘win-win’ terms, according to Pezeshkian. He told Al-Jazeera that the uranium enrichment program will continue. Tehran says it is only for civilian purposes, but it could also be a step towards building nuclear weapons.
Iran has demanded U.S. guarantees that it will not be attacked and is seeking to negotiate sanctions relief in exchange for nuclear negotiations.
The E3 group of European countries have warned they will trigger a “snapback” of sanctions on Iran by the end of the summer if Tehran does not make progress on a nuclear deal, a mechanism to reimpose sanctions if Tehran is found noncompliant, according to a 2015 deal.
Leaders from Iran, Germany, France, and Britain are finalizing plans to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program “in the coming week,” a German diplomatic source told Newsweek on Sunday.
What People Are Saying
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Al-Jazeera on Tuesday: “We do not rely on the current ceasefire, and we are not very optimistic about it. That’s why we have prepared ourselves for any possible scenario and any potential response. Israel struck us—and we struck back.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday, as quoted by Maariv: “There is a possibility of renewing the war against Iran. “It is essential to formulate a plan that ensures Iran does not return to its nuclear and missile projects.”
U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday: “…we will do it again, if necessary!”
What Happens Next
Iran, Germany, France, and Britain are set to begin talks on Friday, marking the first public diplomatic meeting on Iran’s nuclear program since the conflict.
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