May 17 (UPI) — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday his country will not back down from “threats” made by U.S. President Donald Trump, although he also favors continued negotiations between the two nations.
“We are not seeking war, we favor negotiation and dialogue, but we are not afraid of threats either, and we will in no way retreat from our legal rights,” Pezeshkian told a group of gathered naval officers in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas Saturday.
Pezeshkian did not elaborate on what threats he was referring to.
Earlier in the week, U.S. officials imposed a new round of sanctions targeting Iran and an alleged oil smuggling network.
The Trump administration is continuing to negotiate a new nuclear weapons deal with Tehran to curb Iran’s uranium enrichment program. The latest round of talks in the Omani capital of Muscat last week were described by Iranian official as “difficult but useful.”
No further talks have been publicly announced.
Trump this week did mention Iran in a speech in Saudi Arabia during his tour of the Middle East. The president referred to the Iranian regime as a corrupt government and chided the country’s crumbling infrastructure while also touching on the ongoing nuclear talks between the two countries.
Trump also told reporters during that trip that negotiations needed to progress quickly or “something bad’s gonna happen.” He has also indicated the two sides were close to a deal and had “sort of” reached an agreement.
“No one but Trump himself believes his words against the Iranian nation,” Pezeshkian said Saturday.
“On the one hand, he speaks of peace and stability and, on the other hand, he threatens (us) with the most sophisticated tools for homicide and with contradictory statements. He simultaneously sends messages of peace, bloodshed and insecurity,” he said.
At a separate event Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Trump “lied,” without specifying which comments he was referring to, adding they were unworthy of response.
Khamenei made the proclamation during a speech in Tehran, where supporters chanted “Death to America” in the crowd.
“The level of those remarks is so low that they are a disgrace for the one who uttered them and a disgrace to the American nation,” Khamenei said without elaborating.
