Pezeshkian: Iran will not yield to US pressure and does not seek to possess nuclear weapons

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the United States must realize that Iran "will not yield to pressure," stressing that Tehran does not seek nuclear weapons and will expand its relations with its neighbors and engage with Europe.

In an article published on Saturday in the Iranian newspaper Tehran Times, entitled “My Message to the New World,” Pezeshkian said that the United States “must realize and understand the reality once and for all, which is that Iran does not and will not respond to pressure, and that Iran’s defense doctrine does not include nuclear weapons.”

The Iranian president-elect pledged to promote a pragmatic foreign policy, ease tensions over now-stalled negotiations with major powers, revive the 2015 nuclear deal and improve "prospects for social liberalization and political pluralism."

"The United States illegally withdrew from the (nuclear) agreement, driven by internal differences and a desire for revenge, causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damage to our economy and causing untold suffering, death and destruction to the Iranian people," Pezeshkian stressed.

He added that Tehran "will place strengthening relations with our neighbors at the top of its priorities and will work to establish the foundations of a strong region, instead of a region in which one country seeks to impose its hegemony and control over other countries."

“China and Russia have consistently stood by us during difficult times. We deeply value this friendship,” Pezeshkian said. “Russia is a strategic ally and an important neighbor of Iran and my administration will remain committed to expanding and strengthening our cooperation,” he added, noting that Tehran will strongly support initiatives to end the conflict in Ukraine.

“The Iranian people have given me a strong mandate to continue to engage constructively and forcefully on the international stage while insisting on our rights, dignity and rightful role in the region and the world,” he continued. “I extend an open invitation to all who wish to join us in this historic endeavor.”

Regarding the Israeli war in Gaza, Pezeshkian stressed that his country will, as a first step, urge neighboring Arab countries to cooperate and utilize all political and diplomatic means to give priority to achieving a permanent ceasefire in the Strip, with the aim of stopping the massacre and preventing the expansion of the conflict.

The Iranian president considered that relations with Europe have witnessed many ups and downs, explaining that the European countries have backed away from their 11 commitments "that were supposed to be implemented in order to save the nuclear agreement and mitigate the impact of the illegal and unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States on the Iranian economy."

He continued: "Despite these wrong steps taken by European countries, I look forward to entering into a constructive dialogue with European countries, with the aim of putting relations on the right track, based on the principles of mutual respect and equality."

Reformist candidate and former health minister Masoud Pezeshkian won the second round of Iran's early presidential election, held a week ago, with 53.7% of the vote, ahead of conservative candidate Saeed Jalili, who received 44.4%, making Pezeshkian the country's ninth president.