TEHRAN – An American media outlet fabricated claims about Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian seeking to “ease tensions with Israel”, ignoring his request for accurate reporting during the same meeting.

Bloomberg reported on Monday that Pezeshkian said he is “prepared to ease tensions with Israel” during a mostly off-the-record meeting he held with senior managers of American media outlets in New York. 

Bloomberg quoted Pezeshkian as saying that Iran is willing to “put all its weapons aside as long as Israel is willing to do the same” and that Iran is not seeking to “destabilize the region”.

Pezeshkian has made similar remarks about regional disarmament in the past. During a televised meeting with Iranian reports earlier this month, the official made the same comments after criticizing the West for pressuring Iran to limit its military program while Israel continues to receive unfettered arms supplies from the U.S. and its European allies.

Sources have told the Tehran Times that the president’s call for “putting the weapons aside” was made in the same context in New York, something Bloomberg wittingly disregarded to distort his message. 

Furthermore, the report claims Pezeshkian seeks to “ease tensions” with Israel despite the president’s repeated expressions of solidarity with Palestinians and pledges to punish Israel for its crimes since taking office in July – including two statements in New York vowing Iranian retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has also reacted to the report, denying that the president plans to be lenient with Israel during an exclusive interview with Tasnim News agency. 

During the same Monday meeting where Pezeshkian advocated for regional disarmament, He urged American media to refrain from misrepresenting Iran. His plea to avoid a false narrative appears to have fallen on deaf ears. 

Iran’s stance against Israel unchanging

The Islamic Republic of Iran's stance and policies towards Israel are firmly enshrined in its constitution and consistently endorsed by officials at all levels of government, said senior West Asia Expert Hossein Ajorlou.

“Iran sees Israel as the main destabilizing force in the region. Therefore, it takes any step possible to whittle away at this force and help Palestinians end the occupation of their lands. That is not something that is going to change as different administrations enter the picture,” he explained. 

As for President Pezeshkian, he has consistently and vocally opposed the Israeli regime and its actions since his campaign days. “Pezeshkian's comments regarding Israel have, in some cases, been even more forceful and harsh than those of his predecessors. That’s likely influenced by the fact that his presidency began with an Israeli act of aggression on Iranian soil,” the expert said, referring to Israel’s assassination of Haniyeh on July 31, hours after he attended Pezeshkian’s inauguration ceremony in Tehran. 

While previous Iranian presidents viewed Israel as a threat primarily through an ideological lens, Pezeshkian's perspective is notable for framing Israel as a threat from a national security standpoint, Ajorlou explained. “I don’t recall any other president openly calling Israel a threat to Iran’s national security.”