Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed Washington on Saturday for the unravelling of an interim deal aimed at ending the war with the United States and Israel. Fighting could resume imminently amid growing fears across the region. Pezeshkian spoke in comments broadcast by Iranian Press TV, urging both sides to return to the agreement and conclude it.
Military action could resume as soon as the weekend. US President Donald Trump stated on Friday that he may launch another operation using the codename Epic Fury. That label refers to the US-Israeli war against Iran that began on February 28.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that even limited strikes would trigger a response several times greater. The warning came through comments reported by the semi-official Fars News Agency.
Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Ali Abdollahi stated on Saturday that the US military would not be allowed in the Gulf under any circumstances. Abdollahi said Trump could only dream of seeing US forces enter the water and would take that dream to the grave.
Trump suggested he could take further military action against Tehran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated he remains committed to overthrowing the Iranian government. Both leaders face elections shortly. Israelis will choose their next government on Tuesday, while Trump’s Republican Party faces midterm elections on November 3.
Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani stated on Saturday that Tehran would not wait for permission to defend itself. She said the country seeks peace but will respond to any aggression with severe consequences. Mohajerani wrote in a memo that the national position remains clear, noting that officials do not flee from dialogue for peace and do not hesitate in defending the nation.
Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei met Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Saturday. The pair discussed tackling corruption and pursuing compensation for Iranians affected by the war. Khamenei replaced his father as supreme leader after the former leader was assassinated during opening strikes on February 28. He has not appeared in public since assuming the position in early March, although parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf met him earlier in the week.
