Masoud Pezeshkian: Peace, Not Surrender

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on sanctions, regional conflict, US-Israel tensions and his call for Muslim unity.

An exclusive Al Jazeera interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, by Al Jazeera Arabic’s Ali al-Dafiri at the United Nations in New York. Peace negotiations between the United States and Iran are struggling to make progress – but here Pezeshkian portrays Iran as the target of what he calls “terrorism”, pointing to the assassination of Iranian officials, scientists and schoolchildren in US and Israeli attacks. He addresses the serious impact of increased US sanctions on the Iranian economy, tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, and a series of broken agreements that, he argues, have destroyed Tehran’s trust in Washington. The president justifies Iran’s retaliatory strikes on US bases in the Gulf and the wider Arab region, arguing that regional security should be managed by local actors rather than foreign powers. He reflects on the wars in Gaza and Yemen, the new Syrian government, and Iran’s relationships with Russia and China – while calling for Muslim solidarity, anchored by Saudi Arabia, to counter what he sees as US-Israeli attempts to divide the region.