On Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would never surrender but still believes in diplomacy, after Donald Trump threatened to “annihilate” Iran the day before. He described Iran’s military actions as defensive and said Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons.
The speeches came as U.S. and Iranian officials held their first known indirect talks since a ceasefire collapsed in July. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner communicated through mediators, not face to face. Trump called the contact “very productive” and said he sensed momentum for a deal; Iran said its terms included ending the war on all fronts and stopping U.S. “acts of aggression.” Neither side’s public position appeared to have made concessions on ending the war.
Separately, Washington said it would impose secondary sanctions on any country allowing Iranian flights after Wednesday, aiming to ground Iran’s civilian aircraft worldwide. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned on state TV that Iran would ensure neighboring countries’ airports could not function if they stopped Iranian flights.
