Leader has ordered to end 'neither war nor peace' situation: Iranian President

Tehran: (Agency) Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has clarified that all decisions in the country are made in accordance with the guidelines of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. He assured that there has been an increase in the level of contact with him over the past few months.

Speaking at a ceremony on Tuesday to mark the National Day of Industry and Mining, the president said Khamenei had emphasized the need to end the state of "neither war nor peace" in special meetings. He added that Tehran's stance in negotiations was based on the condition that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened for oil exports and other key issues be resolved before the US fulfills its promises.

Pezeshkian's statements came at a time when Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has been avoiding public appearances since his appointment in March, leading to speculation about his condition. There have also been rumors that he was injured in US-Israeli attacks in which his father was killed at the start of the war.

In addition, the Iranian president once again accused the US of waging a "comprehensive war" aimed at creating internal pressure and causing social decadence. He said the goal of targeting infrastructure was to weaken the country, but internal cohesion and the resilience of producers and industrialists had prevented these objectives from being achieved.

Pezeshkian further stated that the failure of the "enemy" to achieve its goals during the war had forced it to change its attitude and turn to negotiations. He criticized some internal statements about the negotiations, saying they undermined the successes achieved by his country and called for avoiding careless comments that might undermine the efforts of the negotiating team.

The Iranian president's statement coincides with the continuation of military attacks within Iran, as Iranian television reported a new attack in the mountainous areas of the city of Khorramabad in the western province of Lorestan.

The statement comes at a time when Iran's Interior Minister, Esmaeil Ahmadi Moqaddam, has begun a visit to Islamabad, which is playing a mediating role between Washington and Tehran, where he met with Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir.

According to Al-Hadath sources, the two sides discussed preparations for a new round of negotiations between the US and Iran and made it clear that Pakistan is trying to restore negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said in a press conference on Monday that diplomatic contacts with the US through mediators are still ongoing despite US military attacks on the country.

The military tension between the US and Iran is escalating, as Centcom announced the implementation of the tenth consecutive night of attacks within Iran and confirmed that it had targeted military command centers, naval capabilities, missiles, and drone launch sites, as well as air defense systems, in order to weaken Tehran's ability to attack commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

In response, Iran announced new attacks targeting Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, which are part of the escalation that shattered the memorandum of understanding signed on June 17, which included negotiations on the Iranian nuclear file and other issues with the aim of reaching a settlement to end the war.

However, Washington is also preparing for the possibility that the negotiations may fail. The US military has sent dozens of warplanes and aerial refueling planes to the region in recent days to enable large-scale military action if needed. According to Israeli sources, the IDF is on high alert and is preparing to turn the war into a full and integrated military campaign in the coming days.