Pezeshkian blames US for ending interim war pact

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Washington of collapsing the interim agreement designed to end the conflict with the United States and Israel on Saturday. Speaking on Iranian Press TV, he stated that both nations should return to the deal to finalize it. His remarks arrived as fears grew that military operations might restart as early as this weekend.

US President Donald Trump signaled on Friday that he might launch another operation. He referenced the codename Epic Fury, which was used for the joint US-Israeli campaign that began on February 28. The timing of his comments coincides with a ten day gap since the last US strike on Iranian territory.

Iranian military leaders responded with strong warnings. Ali Abdollahi, the chief of staff for the Iranian armed forces, declared on Saturday that US forces would not enter the Gulf under any circumstances. He told Trump that he could only dream of such an invasion and would take that dream to the grave. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also warned through the Fars News Agency that even limited strikes would trigger a response several times greater in scale.

Fatemeh Mohajerani, the spokesperson for the Iranian government, issued a memo stating that Tehran would not wait for permission to defend itself. She wrote that the country seeks peace but will respond to aggression with severe consequences. Mohajerani added that Iran does not flee from dialogue but will not hesitate to defend the nation against those who aim to destroy it.

Political pressures in both the US and Israel may influence the next steps. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he remains committed to overthrowing the Iranian government. Israelis are scheduled to vote for their next government on Tuesday. In the US, Trump faces midterm elections on November 3. Democrats have the potential to win control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, a result that would impact the president during the final two years of his term.

Domestic leadership in Iran also moved on Saturday. Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. They discussed strategies to combat corruption and methods to provide compensation to Iranians affected by the war. Khamenei assumed the role of supreme leader in early March after his father was assassinated during the initial strikes on February 28. He has not appeared in public since taking office. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who serves as the chief negotiator, was reported to have met with Khamenei earlier in the week.