Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi met with visiting Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Tehran separately on Monday, each stressing Iran's resolve to defend its national interests and security.
Pezeshkian said in his meeting with Mirzoyan, negotiations "were difficult with an adversary that repeatedly used sanctions, threats, pressure and attacks and had failed to honor agreements," according to a statement published on his office's website.
He said the United States had repeatedly attacked Iran after talks, arguing that the U.S. was seeking to undermine the Islamic Republic rather than pursue genuine dialogue.
The Iranian president criticized the U.S. for offering no answer to the killing of 168 innocent children at a school in Iran's southern city of Minab on Feb. 28.
Pezeshkian said Iran has repeatedly "demonstrated the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities" and had accepted extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York in late September, he said Iran was not seeking nuclear weapons and remained ready for verification.
In talks with his Armenian counterpart, Araghchi said Iran will "decisively" defend its national interests and security, but has never hesitated to use diplomacy to prevent an escalation of tensions, according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
He said the "precarious" consequences of the U.S.-Israeli military "aggression" against Iran are the main cause of the insecurity imposed on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's president, FM vow defense of national interests
Iran's president, FM vow defense of national interests
