“We have the necessary will to end this conflict, subject to guarantees that prevent the recurrence of aggression,” Euronews quoted Pezeshkian as saying.
Following a phone call with him, European Council President António Costa wrote on social media that the current situation in the Middle East is extremely dangerous and called on Iran to de-escalate.
Pezeshkian’s comments came on a day when U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the coming days of the Iran war would be “decisive,” refusing to rule out the involvement of ground forces in the conflict.
The Pentagon chief said talks to end the war were progressing despite the military campaign having been underway for more than a month.
However, Hegseth offered no clarity when asked about concerns among some of President Donald Trump’s supporters about possibly sending U.S. troops to Iran.
Hegseth’s remarks about the peace talks echoed a White House statement Monday saying they were progressing well, but the content of Iranian officials’ public statements and their conversations with U.S. officials differed significantly.
“Despite the public statements that you hear from regime officials, the false reports, the negotiations are ongoing and going well. What is being said publicly, of course, differs significantly from what we are being told privately,” White House spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt said at a briefing.
