Shafaq News- Tehran
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that negotiations with the United States have faced domestic criticism despite achieving results beyond expectations, while accusing Washington of failing to honor its commitments.
Speaking to reporters, Pezeshkian noted that “some internal criticism had downplayed the achievements of the talks,” maintaining that the negotiations had exceeded expectations.
“The memorandum of understanding focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz to oil exports, but the US side had not implemented the agreed terms.”
Addressing domestic affairs, Pezeshkian said Iran's "enemy" had waged a comprehensive campaign intended to create internal pressure and trigger social collapse, clarifying that “national unity and public cohesion had prevented those efforts from succeeding.”
The Iranian president added that the failure to achieve military objectives had prompted the opposing side to return to dialogue.
Pezeshkian cited Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei stressing during their meetings the need to end the current state of "neither war nor peace." He also revealed that his consultations with Khamenei had increased in recent months and that decisions were made in line with the Supreme Leader's guidance.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday that officials in US President Donald Trump's administration are pushing to revive discussions on pursuing "regime change" in Iran after diplomatic efforts to contain tensions stalled.
According to the newspaper, the proposal includes encouraging an internal uprising in Iran and reconsidering a previous Israeli proposal to arm Kurdish opposition groups hostile to Tehran. The report said some officials in the administration believe current political and economic pressure has failed to achieve its objectives.
Tehran has become the central challenge in US foreign policy as the confrontation between Iran and Israel continues and Washington has yet to formulate a strategy capable of achieving its main goals, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping without transit fees and imposing restrictions on Iran's nuclear program, according to the outlet.
The report also added that those objectives face significant obstacles as Tehran insists on charging fees for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a move it says would provide additional revenue and strengthen its influence over global energy shipments.
Citing US officials, the newspaper said military options remain limited because airstrikes have not achieved their intended objectives and there is no political support for deploying ground forces. Retired US General Barry McCaffrey estimated that any ground operation to seize control of the Strait of Hormuz could require about 600,000 troops and last for a year.
The report also highlighted that continued Russian and Chinese support could provide Iran with more advanced missile and drone capabilities in the coming years, increasing potential threats to strategic targets, including Israel's Dimona nuclear facility and the US military base at Diego Garcia.