Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he does not support continuing the war, but argued that the country must strengthen its resilience so that Tehran is not forced to negotiate with an enemy from a weaker position if new challenges emerge. According to ISNA, he made the remarks at a meeting with the heads of Iran’s leading universities.
He said Iran needs to reinforce its capacity in light of possible developments ahead. Pezeshkian stressed that universities should help the government “in the economy, management, culture, literature and all fields.”
The Iranian president also said the government should make greater use of the potential of Generation Z students, those born between 1997 and 2012. He said it was important for young people to focus on solving the country’s problems rather than taking part in protest actions.
Pezeshkian added that, as president, he has no political ties to any side and is ready to accept help from anyone willing to contribute to solving the country’s problems, regardless of political views. In his words, he has no conflict “with the left, the right, the religious, or the non-religious.”
He also warned that economic measures must take account of the country’s conditions; otherwise, they would produce negative results and losses instead of solving problems.
The comments come as the United States continues its maritime blockade of Iran and maintains the tough economic sanctions announced last month, which the report says are creating serious difficulties for Tehran.
In June, Tehran and Washington signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at halting military operations, but the agreement was broken weeks later. In recent weeks, the two sides have resumed regularly striking each other. Iran also said today that it had downed a US water drone in Hormuz.
