Amid renewed diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday.
That engaging in negotiations should not be interpreted as surrender, stressing that Tehran would continue to defend its national rights while pursuing dialogue. Pezeshkian’s remarks came shortly before US President Donald Trump announced that Washington was temporarily holding off on a planned military strike against Iran because “serious negotiations” were currently underway.
In a statement posted on X, Pezeshkian said Iran would participate in talks “with dignity, authority, and preservation of the nation’s rights.”
“Dialogue does not mean surrender,” the Iranian president said, adding that the Islamic Republic would not retreat from what he described as the legal rights of the Iranian people under any circumstances.
The comments followed a dramatic statement from Trump on Truth Social, where he revealed that he had instructed the US military to pause a scheduled strike on Iran that was reportedly planned for Tuesday.
While Trump did not disclose specific operational details, he said American forces had been prepared for a “full, large-scale assault” if negotiations failed to produce what he called an acceptable agreement.
According to Trump, the decision to delay military action came after requests from key Middle Eastern allies, including Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Mohammed bin Salman and Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Trump said the ongoing negotiations were aimed at ensuring that Iran would not develop nuclear weapons and warned that military action could still proceed if talks collapsed.
“Time is of the essence,” Trump wrote earlier, warning Iran that the “clock is ticking” to finalise a deal before the fragile regional ceasefire breaks down.
The renewed tensions come after Iranian media outlets reportedly disclosed Washington’s proposed conditions for restarting negotiations. The reported demands included reducing Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, limiting nuclear facilities, maintaining restrictions on frozen Iranian assets, and broader regional de-escalation commitments.
Responding indirectly to Trump’s warnings, Pezeshkian defended diplomacy while insisting that Iran would negotiate only on equal and respectful terms.
“It is not logical to say that we should not engage in dialogue,” he said during a public event in Tehran.
“If we do not talk, what should we do? Fight until the very end? We will talk with dignity.”
The Iranian president also stressed the importance of maintaining national unity while navigating the negotiations and said Tehran remained capable of defending its interests with public support.
Talks between Washington and Tehran remain stalled over several major issues, including uranium enrichment levels, sanctions relief, compensation linked to recent regional conflicts, and the future scope of Iran’s nuclear programme.
Despite the pause in military escalation, uncertainty continues to surround the negotiations as both sides maintain firm public positions while attempting to avoid a broader regional confrontation.
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