Iranian president warns Trump against risking 'war'

WASHINGTON: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran was not seeking “nuclear weaponry” and warned US President-elect Donald Trump against risking “war” with the Islamic republic, according to a US televised interview broadcast Tuesday.

“I do hope that Trump will conduce to peace in the region and the world not, conversely, contribute to bloodshed or war,” Pezeshkian said in an interview with NBC News, less than a week before Trump returns to the White House.

Washington has not maintained formal diplomatic relations with Tehran for nearly 45 years, and Trump threatened during his recent presidential campaign that US ally Israel could strike Iranian nuclear facilities.

“We will react to any action. We do not fear war, but we do not seek it,” Pezeshkian said about the prospect of US-endorsed Israeli military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi reported Tuesday that European powers were serious about resuming nuclear program negotiations.

In 2015, Iran and world powers — including France, Britain and Germany — reached an agreement that eased international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.

But the United States, during Trump’s first term in office, unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 and reimposed biting economic sanctions.

Tehran adhered to the deal until Washington’s withdrawal, but then began rolling back on its commitments.

“We do not seek to create nuclear weaponry or armament,” Pezeshkian said. “However, they accuse us of seeking the manufacturing of a bomb.”

When asked by NBC News host Lester Holt about the possibility of having talks with Trump once he returns to power, the Iranian leader was skeptical.

“The problem we have is not in dialogue. It’s in the commitments that arise from talks and dialogue that we’ll have to commit to,” Pezeshkian said, adding: “It was the other party did not live up to its promises and obligations.”