Masoud Pezeshkian Says Iranians Will Not Submit to Force, Demands Honoring Commitments

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iranians “do not submit to force” while he framed dialogue as conditional on “Honoring commitments.”

“Iranian president flags ‘mistrust, contradictory signals’ from US amid push for fresh talks US seeks Iran’s ‘surrender (and) Iranians do not submit to force,’ says Masoud Pezeshkian Sahin Demir 20 April 2026•Update: 20 April 2026 Türkiye, İstanbul Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday flagged “mistrust” toward the US and what he described as “contradictory signals from American officials” amid efforts to launch a second round of talks to end the war”

Anadolu Ajansı

In a post on his X account on Monday, Pezeshkian wrote: “Honoring commitments is the basis of meaningful dialogue.”

Anadolu Ajansı

He added that “Deep historical mistrust in Iran toward the US government conduct remains,” while “unconstructive and contradictory signals from American officials carry a bitter message; they seek Iran’s surrender.”

Multiple outlets carried the same core message, including IRNA English, which said Pezeshkian emphasized that “Iranians do not submit to force,” and Anadolu Ajansı, which quoted him saying “They (US) seek Iran's surrender. Iranians do not submit to force.”

Anadolu Ajansı also reported that Pezeshkian spoke as the United States pushed for a second round of talks to end the war, after Trump said an agreement with Iran would be signed “today” in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The Anadolu Ajansı report said it was “not immediately clear what timeframe he was referring to,” but it recorded Trump’s warning that if no deal was signed he would “blow up every single power plant and bridge in Iran.”

In parallel, Mehr News Agency reported Pezeshkian’s insistence that Iranians “refuse to submit to use of force,” tying the stance to “deep historical mistrust” and “unconstructive and contradictory signals” from American officials.

The push and uncertainty around a second round of talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, formed the immediate backdrop to Pezeshkian’s remarks.

Anadolu Ajansı reported that Pezeshkian’s comments came “amid efforts to launch a second round of talks to end the war,” after Trump said an agreement would be signed “today” in Islamabad, Pakistan.

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WION described that “Negotiators from the United States led by Vice President JD Vance are expected to land in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, for second round of talks with Iran as the two-week ceasefire is set to expire on Wednesday.”

WION also said that “On Monday Tehran said it has "no plans for the next round" of peace talks as the US sends a delegation to Pakistan.”

PressTV similarly said Pezeshkian made his remark as “US President Donald Trump said an American delegation was on route to Islamabad for talks with Iran,” after Trump renewed his threat of attacking “Iranian power plants and bridges.”

News18 added that Trump told the New York Post that Vice President JD Vance, adviser Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff were expected to travel to Islamabad for a second round of talks, and it said Trump also claimed the deal would be signed during the round.

News18 further reported that Trump said it was “highly unlikely” he would extend the two-week ceasefire that he said ends on Wednesday evening US eastern time, and it quoted Trump telling PBS News that if the ceasefire ends without a peace deal “then lots of bombs start going off.”

Alongside Pezeshkian’s rejection of force, the sources described a parallel escalation in hostile rhetoric from the United States and a corresponding Iranian rebuttal.

“President Masoud Pezeshkian has said a deep historical mistrust persists in Iran towards the US, but that honoring commitments remains the basis of meaningful dialogue,The Caspian Postreports”

Caspianpost

Anadolu Ajansı recorded that Trump warned that if no deal was signed, he would “blow up every single power plant and bridge in Iran,” and it placed that warning alongside the report that the Strait of Hormuz blockade was a hurdle in talks.

Anadolu Ajansı said Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, spoke with Trump and flagged the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a hurdle in talks with Iran, while it also reported that the waterway had remained largely closed since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.

It added that Tehran declared the strait open on Friday but closed it again a day later after Trump said the blockade of Iranian ports would continue, and it reported that on Sunday US forces detained an Iranian cargo ship after opening fire and boarding it.

EdexLive described Trump’s threats in more direct terms, quoting Trump’s statement that “If the deal isn't done, the deal that we made, then I'm going to take out their bridges and their power plants,” and it also quoted Trump saying, “If they don't sign this thing, the whole country is going to get blown up.”

On the Iranian side, WION included a warning from Iranian military commander Seyed Majid Moosavi, who said “Iran does not trust negotiations with you,” and it quoted him warning US that any “threat against Iran will be met with a firm and decisive slap in response.”

WION also quoted Moosavi saying “Islamic Iran has left behind the era of weakness and submission,” and that “Wherever you may be, whenever we choose, we will respond with strength,” placing the Iranian response in the same immediate diplomatic window.

The sources diverged on whether Iran would participate in the next round of talks, and they also differed in how they characterized Iranian preparations.

WION stated that “On Monday Tehran said it has "no plans for the next round" of peace talks as the US sends a delegation to Pakistan.”

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PressTV likewise said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters that “Tehran had no plans to take part in a second round of talks with Washington.”

News18, however, described “mixed signals from the Iranian side,” saying that “The New York Times reported that an Iranian delegation is preparing to travel to Islamabad on Tuesday for negotiations,” and it added that “parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a former Revolutionary Guards commander and a key figure in the talks, would attend if Vance also participates.”

News18 also said that “Pakistani officials told the Associated Press that Iran has indicated willingness to send a delegation for a second round of talks in Islamabad this week,” and it described “cautious optimism that delegations from both Iran and the United States could travel to Islamabad.”

Anadolu Ajansı reported that “Tehran has yet to officially announce its position but has demanded the lifting of the US blockade of its ports,” and it said earlier Pakistani sources indicated Iranian officials were expected to arrive in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Across these accounts, the same diplomatic setting—Islamabad, Pakistan, and a looming ceasefire expiration—was common, but the reported Iranian posture ranged from “no plans” to “preparing to travel” and “indicated willingness.”

Beyond the immediate US-Iran diplomacy, one source described Iran’s stated approach to regional security and emphasized limits on attacks.

Al-Khabar, in Arabic-language reporting labeled “الخبر اليمني,” said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian affirmed that Iran does not intend to attack neighboring countries, stressing that “our brothers in the region, and we must extend security and peace side by side.”

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It said he explained in a televised statement that the Iranian Leadership Council decided “not to attack neighboring countries except in the event that Iran is attacked from the territories of those countries,” and it framed the decision as a commitment to “international law and humanitarian principles.”

The same report said Pezeshkian “praised the Iranian people who continue to be present in the field despite the challenges and difficulties,” and it recorded his view that “the enemies’ dream of Iran’s unconditional surrender will remain unattainable.”

In the diplomatic lane, the sources tied the next phase to the ceasefire deadline and to the possibility of infrastructure warfare if talks fail.

News18 said Trump told Bloomberg News it was “highly unlikely” he would extend the two-week ceasefire that he said ends on Wednesday evening US eastern time, and it quoted Trump telling PBS News that if the ceasefire ends without a peace deal “then lots of bombs start going off.”

Anadolu Ajansı similarly recorded Trump’s warning about blowing up “every single power plant and bridge in Iran,” and it placed that warning in the context of the Strait of Hormuz blockade and the detention of an Iranian cargo ship.