“America and Israel seek to divide and destroy Iran, but no Iranian wants Iran to be divided”, Iran’s president said in a pre-recorded TV interview.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday that Iran does not seek war, but if Israel and the United States attacked, Iran would stand against them “forcefully.”
“America and Israel seek to divide and destroy Iran, but no Iranian wants Iran to be divided”, he said in a pre-recorded TV interview.
“From the first days of the revolution, enemies were seeking assassinations, coups, and the country’s division,” Pezeshkian continued, saying that the Islamic Republic is “standing firm” against those it perceives as enemies.
“We do not want to fight, but we are not afraid of war either,” the Iranian president noted.
Pezeshkian also discussed recent moves by the E3, which consists of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, to launch a 30-day process to reimpose the snapback mechanism for sanctions on Iran in relation to its nuclear program.
A man crosses the street, past a billboard showing Iranian centrifuges and nuclear scientists killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran August 29, 2025. (credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)
In his interview, the president is quoted by local state-affiliated media as saying that European claims over Iranian non-compliance with nuclear commitments are “legally baseless.”
According to Pezeshkian, Iran is “not seeking to activate the snapback and has made every effort to prevent it.”
E3’s offer to delay snapback sanctions ‘unrealistic,’ Iran says
The E3 urged Iran at the United Nations on Friday to meet three requirements so their threat of reimposing UN sanctions can be delayed to allow space for talks on a deal to address their concerns about Tehran’s nuclear program.
The countries offered to delay reinstating sanctions for up to six months if Iran restored access for UN nuclear inspectors, addressed concerns about its stock of enriched uranium, and engaged in talks with the United States.
Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said on Friday that the three countries’ plan is “full of unrealistic preconditions.”
He said they should instead support “a short, unconditional technical extension of resolution 2231,” which enshrined the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Reuters contributed to this report.
