Defy or engage? Trump’s call for dialogue divides Iran’s political landscape
The Iranian leadership blasted Donald Trump's call for dialogue as "hypocritical," but Reformist voices in the country argue that the overture could offer a rare chance to break the country's deepening diplomatic isolation.
TEHRAN — Iran's Foreign Ministry issued a blistering statement on Tuesday that rejected recent remarks by US President Donald Trump calling for dialogue with Iran, highlighting a growing domestic debate over whether to resist foreign pressure or pursue limited engagement with the West.
During his speech to the Israeli Knesset on Monday, Trump extended what he called "a hand of friendship and cooperation even to Iran, whose regime has caused so much death across the Middle East," and added that Iran wants a deal with the United States.
The Foreign Ministry's statement accused Washington of being hypocritical for urging peace while backing what Tehran described as Israeli aggression against Iran.
"How can one speak of peace and friendship," the Iranian Foreign Ministry asked, "while in the midst of political talks attacking residential areas and peaceful nuclear facilities, killing over a thousand innocent people?" It was referencing the June war between Iran and Israel, in which the United States briefly intervened by attacking key nuclear sites in the country's central regions.
