Pezeshkian spoke with “NBC Nightly News and Tom Llamas” during a trip to New York for the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
His comments came after Trump said in a UN speech on Tuesday that the US attack in June “stricken Iran’s major nuclear facilities and completely wiped everything out.”
He was asked whether Pezeshkian had a rebellious tone on more wars against Iran and the expected meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We are not afraid of war. We are not seeking war,” he said.
“President Trump said his administration has come to create peace, but the path they embark on will set fire to the entire region.”
He went on to say that Iran “has never started a war… it would never start a war.”
“But whoever attacks us, we will do our best to give them the strongest answer. We will reinforce our capabilities every day to prevent anyone from attacking us,” Pezeschkian added.
Pezeschkian discussed his injuries during the war with Israel this summer, and said international nuclear inspectors were welcome to visit his country.
“They hit us because they were trying to marry us like everyone else. We are not afraid of death or martyrism. We have lived our lives. I have lived my life,” he said.
Regarding his injured leg, Pezeschkian said, “It wasn’t anything special.”
“You can say it’s a hematoma that formed in the knee area. It dropped the fluid and blood that you needed, and then you got through it,” he added.
Based on reviews of satellite imagery and independent analysis, Lamas said an increase in work on Iranian underground sites could be a potential facility for future nuclear facilities, and asked about the Washington Post report showing whether the country is building another nuclear facility. Pezeschkian said the nuclear inspectors were welcome to visit his country.
“If they’re really telling the truth… we recently reached an agreement with the IAEA. They can come to the ground and inspect it,” Pezeschkian said, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the watchdog agency.
“To put something out based on intended satellite photos is irrelevant to creating a framework that is not based on reality. In fact, is it not easy to conduct a direct inspection on the ground, and is it much more specific and verifiable?” he added.
On Friday, the UN Security Council (UNSC) voted for a resolution between Russia and China to delay the redress of sanctions. But despite this and despite diplomatic pushes from Pezeschkian and his foreign minister, Abbas Araguchi, the penalties appeared to be re-elied after the Saturday deadline.
MNA