‘Continuing along the path of confrontation is more costly and futile than ever before,’ Masoud Pezeshkian posted in English on X.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday released an open letter saying confrontation is “costly and futile” as the month-long war between Iran and the United States continues.
“Today, the world stands at crossroads. Continuing along the path of confrontation is more costly and futile than ever before. The choice between confrontation and engagement is both real and consequential; its outcome will shape the future for generations to come,” Pezeshkian said in a letter he posted in English on his X account.
In the letter, he did not make reference to President Donald Trump’s message on Wednesday morning that Iran’s president had said he wanted a cease-fire to end the war.
Trump wrote in a Truth Social post: “We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!”
Starting last week, the Trump administration has said U.S. officials are in talks with members of the Iranian regime, including Pezeshkian and Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry officials have denied that direct negotiations are occurring.
Also in his letter, Pezeshkian questioned whether the conflict serves the interests of Americans and alleged that the U.S. military has acted as a proxy on behalf of Israel.
“Exactly which of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this war? Was there any objective threat from Iran to justify such behavior?” he asked.
Before the conflict started on Feb. 28, Washington and Tehran were involved in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. U.S. and Israeli officials have long believed Iran was attempting to enrich uranium to weapons-grade potential to produce nuclear missiles that would threaten other countries, which Iran has denied.
Trump said last month that the terrorism-backing Iranian regime could not be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon, and the White House on Wednesday said in a statement that the U.S. objectives are to “obliterate Iran’s missiles and production, annihilate its navy, sever its support for terrorist proxies, and ensure it never acquires a nuclear weapon.”
