TEHRAN — Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has ordered Iranian officials to end the state of “neither war nor peace” with the United States, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday, according to Tasnim News Agency.
The remarks came at a ceremony in Tehran marking the 72nd anniversary of the Iran Dairy Industries Company, known as Pegah.
“The Leader has instructed us to put an end to the current state of neither war nor peace. We can engage in dialogue with dignity and bring this matter to a dignified conclusion,” he said.
Talk, but No Surrender
“Logic dictates that if we can secure our rights through dialogue, we should avoid becoming embroiled in war. However, we will never surrender in the face of force, intimidation, or bullying,” Pezeshkian said.
In September he told the U.N. General Assembly much the same thing: dialogue, on just and equal terms. Iran asserts its rights, he added, but it will not submit to coercion.
Washington Sees No Breakthrough
Trump’s Monday schedule took him into a White House meeting with Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. Mediators are discussing a two-day proposal to end the war, Fox News reported. Axios described the plan this way: Washington would lift its naval blockade and free up some frozen Iranian funds. Tehran, in return, would move toward renewed nuclear inspections and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with broader talks to follow. Washington has not accepted the proposal.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters on Sunday before leaving for the G7 meeting in Paris, said there had been little progress and rejected Tehran’s terms. “I wouldn’t say we’re on the verge of a breakthrough,” Rubio said. He described Iran’s demands as unrealistic, while saying Trump prefers a diplomatic settlement.
Trump, in his “60 Minutes” interview on Sunday, said he saw no reason to intensify the war with Iran, while maintaining that the Strait of Hormuz was open.
Have something to promote?
Bring your business, services or event to our readers.