Neighbours must not let their soil be used for attacks on Iran, says Pezeshkian

In an interview, Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran had no problem with the UAE or any other country in the region. He said the real problem was the US military bases in the region, from which attacks were launched on Iran.

The Iranian president said it was the United States that had entered the region, while Iran wanted friendly relations with all its neighbours. According to him, the United States wants to stop the countries of the region from coming closer to one another. He said it wants to take control of petroleum reserves and to harm the peace and stability of the region by selling arms and missiles.

Proposing that the countries of the region work together on regional security, Masoud Pezeshkian said all countries should sit down and take joint steps for peace and stability.

Speaking about Pakistan, the Iranian president said Pakistan was a friendly neighbour that had helped greatly for peace, and that Qatar had also assisted. He said the demand for fresh talks after the Islamabad memorandum of understanding was beyond comprehension. He said the memorandum included lifting US sanctions, and the United States would have to lift them.

On the war and nuclear issues, Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran had not started the war and the United States must end its aggression. He said Iran was ready for talks on nuclear matters. However, no decision could be taken in Iran on direct talks with the United States.

The Iranian president alleged that the United States had killed a leader who lived in the hearts of the Iranian people and who could never be forgotten. He said the United States had wanted to topple the Iranian government from the first day.

On the dispute between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran was not at war with Saudi Arabia and the Houthis had their own problems.

He once again urged the regional countries to sit together and form a joint strategy for peace and stability. He said that if European countries could make rules together for their security and trade, why could the countries of the region not do the same.

Speaking about Iran’s current Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the Iranian president said the Supreme Leader was alive and was playing his role within the system as before. According to him, the enemy had failed to trace the Supreme Leader’s whereabouts, which was why various speculations were being made. He said the enemy also wanted to harm Iran’s new Supreme Leader.