Iranian President says he doesn’t want war with Israel

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that Iran does not seek a wider war in the Middle East and warned that such a conflict would have no winners.

“We don’t want war. We want to live in peace,” Pezeshkian told reporters during a visit to New York for the U.N. General Assembly.

“We don’t wish to be the cause of instability in the region.”

Pezeshkian called for dialogue to resolve the volatile situation in the Middle East and blamed Israel for stoking tensions and instigating conflict, citing assassinations in Tehran and elsewhere that he said were carried out by Israel.

“We know better than anyone that if a larger war erupts in the Middle East, it will benefit no one in the world. It is Israel that seeks to create this wider conflict,” he said.

U.S. officials are concerned about the prospect of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group backed by Iran. Israeli airstrikes killed more than 180 people and wounded almost 730 on Monday, Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported, signaling a dramatic escalation of Israel’s aerial assault.

Pezeshkian also criticized the U.S. and other Western countries for what he called double standards, accusing them of condemning Iran over human rights issues while ignoring Israel’s “atrocities” in Gaza.

When asked about the possibility of negotiating a new nuclear agreement with the U.S., Pezeshkian said Iran is not interested in a new deal but rather in a return to the 2015 nuclear accord, from which the U.S. withdrew in 2018.

“Let’s go back to step one,” he said. If all parties adhere to that agreement, Tehran might consider new talks, he added.

Pezeshkian, who was elected this year and presents himself as a relative moderate, also said Iran could not dictate the actions of Houthi forces attacking shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis, he said, were responding to the “unjust plight” of Palestinians in Gaza.

“How can we ask them to abstain?” he asked. “They are trying to stop genocide.”

Pezeshkian dismissed U.S. intelligence reports that Iran was promoting campus protests in the U.S. against Israel, calling the accusation “childish.”

“People around the world are protesting because they are outraged at the situation in Gaza. They don’t need to be bribed to take to the streets,” he added.

The U.S. and its allies claim that Iran has supplied Russia with armed drones and ballistic missiles for its war against Ukraine, a charge Pezeshkian denied.

He said Iran opposes “Russian aggression” against Ukraine and called for dialogue to resolve the conflict.

In an interview with NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell, Iran’s vice president for strategic affairs, Mohammad Javad Zarif, echoed Pezeshkian’s comments, saying Iran was ready to work with other countries to end the conflict in Gaza.

“We want to create a more peaceful, stable world for our citizens and for the world’s citizens. We don’t seek war, but we will defend ourselves,” Zarif said.

Zarif also stated that Iran had the right to retaliate at a time of its choosing over what he called a clear violation of Iran’s sovereignty following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. Iran has blamed Israel for the bombing, though Israel has not publicly confirmed its involvement.

After the assassination, Zarif said, “we were asked by the international community to exercise restraint to bring an end to the war in Gaza.” However, the promise of a cease-fire never materialized, he added.

Zarif, who played a key role in negotiating the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers during his tenure as foreign minister, said the agreement imposed strict limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for an easing of U.S. and international sanctions.

The Biden administration has expressed concern over Iran’s advancing nuclear program and restrictions on U.N. inspections of nuclear sites. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that Tehran could produce enough weapons-grade uranium for an atomic bomb within weeks if it chose to do so.

Zarif blamed the U.S. for the current situation, saying, “It was the U.S. that withdrew from the nuclear deal under the Trump administration. It has been a lose-lose situation.”

Earlier on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was “focused on initiating a new round of nuclear negotiations.”

“We are prepared, and if the other parties are also ready, we can begin talks during this trip,” Araghchi said in a video on Telegram, adding that he planned to extend his stay in New York.

Trump withdrew the U.S. from the landmark Obama-era deal in 2018, citing Iran’s ballistic missile program and its growing influence in the region. The move angered some American allies and sparked fury in Iran.

A senior Biden administration official said Monday that the U.S. does not expect to talk to the Iranian government anytime soon. The official added that the U.S. continues to signal to Iranian leaders what is expected if they are serious about improving Iran’s international standing. However, the U.S. also accused Iran of selling ballistic missiles to Russia, further fueling the war in Ukraine.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has raised concerns about Iran’s continued enrichment of uranium beyond what is necessary for commercial nuclear use. Meanwhile, Iran has blocked U.N. inspectors from accessing certain sites related to its nuclear program.