Iran president faces backlash over ‘soft’ US stance

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian faced criticism on Tuesday after expressing support for renewed talks with the United States, with detractors labeling him “too soft” in the wake of last month’s attacks on the country.

The backlash followed an interview with US media personality Tucker Carlson, where Pezeshkian stated Iran had “no problem” resuming talks if trust could be rebuilt between the two nations.

His comments came less than a month after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign on June 13, which resulted in the deaths of senior military commanders and nuclear scientists in Iran. These Israeli attacks occurred two days before a scheduled meeting between Tehran and Washington aimed at reviving nuclear negotiations, which have since stalled.

“Have you forgotten that these same Americans, together with the Zionists, used the negotiations to buy time and prepare for the attack?” read an editorial in the hardline Kayhan newspaper, a long-standing opponent of engagement with the West.

The United States, which had been engaged in talks with Iran since April 12, joined Israel in carrying out its own strikes on June 22, targeting Iranian nuclear sites at Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz.

The conservative Javan daily also criticized Pezeshkian, deeming his remarks “a little too soft.” It added, “We believe the real meaning of a conversation with an American presenter is conveyed when the words reflect the public’s anger and total distrust of America.”

In contrast, the reformist Ham Mihan newspaper commended Pezeshkian’s “positive approach.” “This interview should have been conducted a long time ago,” it wrote, noting that “Iranian officials have unfortunately long been absent from the international and American media landscape.”

Iranian authorities report that the Israeli strikes killed at least 1,060 people. Israel, in turn, experienced waves of retaliatory drone and missile fire, which authorities stated left at least 28 people dead.

A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in effect since June 24.