Iran's President Questions Sincerity of US Overtures for Diplomacy With Tehran

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FEB 11

Above: Iranian Pres. Masoud Pezeshkian makes a speech during the celebrations of the 46th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Tehran on Feb. 10, 2025. Image copyright: Iranian Presidency/Contributor/Anadolu via Getty Imagesstory last updated FEB 11

The Facts

Iranian Pres. Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that the US Trump administration was not being sincere in seeking negotiations with Iran, citing new sanctions against Tehran.
In a speech to mark the 46th anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution, he further claimed that the US wants to sow division in Iran and that Trump "signs off on every possible conspiracy to bring [the] revolution to its knees."
This comes as Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday dismissed talks with Washington as "not reasonable, honorable, and intelligent," adding that they would "have no effect on solving the country's problems."

The Spin

Pro-Iran narrative

Trump has hypocritically offered dialogue to Iran while imposing crippling sanctions on and supporting plots against the country. That's nothing new, though, as the US has long resorted to false diplomatic overtures with Tehran. By now, America should have known better that this strategy is doomed to fail.

Tasnim News Agency

Anti-Iran narrative

Though the Iranian regime faces troubled times at home and abroad, the country is dangerously closer than ever to a nuclear weapon. Diplomacy remains the best option to avoid that — and increasing pressure while offering Iran a deal is a legitimate part of the game. Time is running out but the US still has much of the bargaining power.

Economist