Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has declared that his country is fully prepared for any future conflict with Israel, expressing doubts about the durability of the current ceasefire.
In one of his first major interviews since the end of the 12-day war with Israel last month, Pezeshkian told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that Iran’s armed forces are ready to strike deep into Israeli territory if necessary.
“We are fully prepared for any new Israeli military move, and our armed forces are ready to strike deep inside Israel again,” Pezeshkian stated.
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The recent conflict saw U.S. military involvement on Israel’s side, including strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. However, Pezeshkian dismissed reports of significant damage, claiming that Israel’s attempt to “eliminate” Iran’s military and scientific leadership had failed.
“Israel has harmed us, and we have also harmed it. It has dealt us powerful blows, and we have struck it hard in its depths, but it is concealing its losses,” he added.
The 12-day war resulted in over 900 deaths in Iran, many of them civilians and at least 28 casualties in Israel, before a ceasefire was reached on June 24. Despite this, Pezeshkian made clear that Iran is not relying on the truce to hold.
“We are not very optimistic about it,” he said. “That is why we have prepared ourselves for any possible scenario and any potential response.”
Nuclear Enrichment to Continue
Pezeshkian also addressed ongoing concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, insisting that enrichment would continue despite Western pressure.
US President Donald Trump says that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon and we accept this because we reject nuclear weapons. This is our political, religious, humanitarian, and strategic position,” he said.
He reiterated Iran’s openness to diplomatic negotiations but warned against coercion.
“We believe in diplomacy, so any future negotiations must follow a win-win logic. We will not accept threats or dictates,” Pezeshkian said.
He dismissed suggestions that Iran’s nuclear programme had been dismantled.
“The claim that our nuclear programme is over is just an illusion. Our nuclear capabilities exist in the minds of our scientists, not just in facilities,” he noted.
His remarks echoed statements by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who told Fox News earlier this week that Iran would never abandon uranium enrichment but remained open to negotiations if sanctions were lifted in return for guarantees of peaceful nuclear development.
ALJAZEERA
