Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday said Iran faces multiple possible paths in dealing with ongoing regional tensions, including negotiations conducted with "dignity" and "authority," while stressing that the country's military gains should be reinforced through diplomacy, according to Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA).
According to ISNA, Pezeshkian made the remarks during a meeting with the commander-in-chief and a group of senior commanders of the Faraj police force, where he received a report on the force's performance during what Iranian officials described as the "recent imposed war."
During the meeting, the Iranian president emphasised the need to strengthen the country's internal security apparatus. Pezeshkian stressed "the necessity of strengthening the structure, equipment, and developing the role of the Faraj grassroots in ensuring the country's internal security," according to ISNA.
Speaking about Iran's future course, the president said Tehran had several options ahead of it. "We now have various options; either we enter into negotiations with dignity, authority and preservation of national interests and realise the rights of the Iranian nation, or we remain in a state of neither war nor peace, or we continue the path of war and confrontation," Pezeshkian said.
The Iranian president said Tehran's preference was for diplomacy backed by military strength and national interests. "The rational, logical, and national interest-based preference is that the victory achieved by the armed forces on the battlefield is also completed in the field of diplomacy and the rights of the Iranian nation are established from a position of dignity and authority," he said.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran's proposals were aimed not only at protecting its national interests but also ensuring regional and global stability. "In our proposal, we only raised Iran's legitimate rights. Everything we proposed in the text was reasonable and generous," Baghaei said, according to Iran's state-linked Fars News Agency.
"Not only for Iran's national interests but for the good and welfare of the region and the world. The American parties continue to insist on their unreasonable demands," he added. Baghaei said Tehran viewed itself as a responsible regional power and rejected accusations of coercive behaviour. "Iran has proven itself to be a responsible power in the region. We are not bullies; we are anti-bullying," he said.
According to Iranian state media outlet Press TV, Baghaei also said Washington must end its pressure campaign against Tehran. "Our demands are legitimate: an end to the war, the lifting of the blockade, a halt to acts of maritime piracy, and the release of Iranian assets unjustly frozen in banks under US pressure," he said. "Ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and establishing security in the region and in Lebanon are among Iran's further demands, proposals that constitute a generous and legitimate framework for regional stability," he added.
Baghaei accused Washington of continuing its "maximum pressure" policy against Iran. "Unfortunately, US continues to insist on its one-sided approach and to exert maximum pressure," he said. Earlier, on Sunday (local time), US President Donald Trump came down heavily on Iran, expressing his displeasure over the response received from Tehran to end hostilities and establish peace amid the developing security situation in West Asia and the Gulf region, terming it completely unacceptable.
Lambasting Tehran in a post on Truth Social, Trump said that he did not like the response received from the 'representatives'."I have just read the response from Iran's so-called "Representatives." I don't like it -- totally unacceptable! Thank you for your attention to this matter", he said on Truth Social. This comes after Iran submitted its reaction to the American proposal for de-escalating regional hostilities through Islamabad, Iranian state media announced on Sunday.
Published on May 11, 2026