The President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, stated that Tehran cannot ignore its greatest enemy, the United States, and said that it must “face its enemies with magnanimity.” Pezeshkian’s statements come one week after Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election.

“Whether we like it or not, we will have to engage with the United States in the regional and international arena, so it is better for us to manage this relationship ourselves,” said Pezeshkian, who is considered relatively moderate.

“We must treat our friends with generosity and confront our enemies with magnanimity,” he added.

In 2018, then-President Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement Tehran had reached with international powers regarding its nuclear program and re-imposed harsh sanctions as part of his “maximum pressure” policy against Iran.

While there is no information on whether the Trump administration plans to hold talks with Tehran after taking office in January, the U.S. president-elect stated during the campaign, “I do not want to harm Iran, but it cannot have nuclear weapons.”

Indirect talks between Washington and Tehran to revive the agreement began under U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration but failed. Iran remains formally part of the agreement but has stepped back from its commitments due to the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Earlier on Tuesday (November 12), government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani stated that Iran would pursue whatever safeguards its interests, responding to a question on whether direct talks with the Trump administration were possible. She pointed out that the final decision on talks rests with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Supreme National Security Council.

“Trump’s maximum pressure campaign failed, even if some people have been burdened by it. What matters now are actions, not words, but we advise Trump to consider the failure of his past policies,” Mohajerani added.