Iran’s president says country willing to stop fighting if not attacked again

Iranian state media reported Tuesday that Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country is ready to stop fighting, provided it knows it won’t be attacked again.

“We have never sought tension or war at any stage, and we have the necessary resolve to end this war if the required conditions are met, especially the necessary guarantees to prevent a recurrence of aggression,” Pezeshkian said, according to Press TV.

Press TV reported Pezeshkian’s remarks in an article about the Iranian president’s conversation with European Council President António Costa.

Reports of comments along those lines sent stocks higher around midday today after an earlier rebound from comments by Trump administration officials on ending the war.

Costa’s readout of the call made no mention of the purported comments by Pezeshkian. A European Union official told CNN that “the Iranian president followed the same line during his conversation with the president of the European Council earlier today.”

Press TV reported that Pezeshkian criticized the European Union during the call for not being vociferous enough in its criticism of the US-Israeli war with Iran.

“The EU should calibrate its policies and stances based on international law and in line with the rules of constructive and professional interaction with other parties,” Pezeshkian said.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that Iran is not currently in negotiations with the United States, though Iran has received messages from the Trump administration.

Source: Reuters

-- Agencies