Iran’s President ‘Ready’ For War With Israel, Will Not Halt Nuclear Program

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has said his country remains prepared and vigilant for any war Israel might launch against it, while conveying that he is not optimistic about the ceasefire continuing to hold.

“We are fully prepared for any new Israeli military move, and our armed forces are ready to strike deep inside Israel again,” Pezeshkian told Al Jazeera in a fresh interview. He emphasized that Iran’s nuclear program will continue, but asserted it is only for peaceful nuclear energy purposes.

“We are not very optimistic about it,” Pezeshkian said of the ceasefire which ended the 12-day war in June, which also saw America’s involvement at the tail-end. “That is why we have prepared ourselves for any possible scenario and any potential response. Israel has harmed us, and we have also harmed it. It has dealt us powerful blows, and we have struck it hard in its depths, but it is concealing its losses.”

He described Israel’s strikes as having sought sought to “eliminate” Iran’s hierarchy – including slain nuclear scientists, military leaders, and some top officials – “but it has completely failed to do so”.

The Iranian leader said that continued uranium enrichment would would be carried out “within the framework of international laws” – despite opposition from most international powers.

“Trump says that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon and we accept this because we reject nuclear weapons and this is our political, religious, humanitarian and strategic position,” Pezeshkian said.

“We believe in diplomacy, so any future negotiations must be according to a win-win logic, and we will not accept threats and dictates.”

And that’s when he issued his most directly challenging words to Trump yet, saying “that our nuclear program is over is just an illusion” while emphasizing “Our nuclear capabilities are in the minds of our scientists and not in the facilities.”

According to President Trump’s latest words on the matter, revealed in a Monday night Truth Social post, he’s ready and willing to order the US military to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities again “if necessary”.

“Of course they are [destroyed], just like I said, and we will do it again, if necessary! As interviewed by Bret Baier,” Trump said in reference to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi having told Baier earlier that day that the nuclear sites were “very severely” damaged and “destroyed” by the US strikes.

Key clip from the FOX interview of the Iranian top diplomat’s words:

During an interview Monday with Fox New’s Bret Baier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi admitted that several of Iran’s nuclear facilities had been “seriously damaged/destroyed” but that the extent of the damage is still under evaluation, adding that Iran is not currently… pic.twitter.com/wYs9ZudxSU

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) July 22, 2025

“Fake News CNN should immediately fire their phony ‘reporter’ and apologize to me and the great pilots who ‘OBLITERATED’ Iran’s nuclear sites,” Trump added, referring to a report that said US intelligence assessed the US airstrikes merely set back the program by a few months.

To some degree the Iranians could simply be playing Trump’s game in signaling to the US what he wants to hear. Even if the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites were not fully and truly destroyed, it remains in Tehran’s best interest right now to present it as if it is so, regardless.