Prez Pezeshkian slams US for 'historical mistrust', asserts 'Iranians do not submit to force'

Tehran [Iran], April 20 (ANI): Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday slammed the United States, saying that deep historic mistrust towards Iran, along with unconstructive signals from American officials, paints a dark picture of seeking Iran's surrender. He affirmed that the country will not submit to force.
The Iranian president made the remarks in a post on X, where he said, "Honoring commitments is the basis of meaningful dialogue. Deep historical mistrust in Iran toward U.S. gov conduct remains, while unconstructive & contradictory signals from American officials carry a bitter message; they seek Iran's surrender. Iranians do not submit to force."

Honoring commitments is the basis of meaningful dialogue. Deep historical mistrust in Iran toward U.S. gov conduct remains, while unconstructive & contradictory signals from American officials carry a bitter message; they seek Iran's surrender. Iranians do not submit to force.

— Masoud Pezeshkian (@drpezeshkian) April 20, 2026

The remarks by the Iranian President come after Trump, in a post on Truth Social on Sunday, had warned of severe repercussions, including an attack on Iranian energy and civil infrastructure, if Iran "doesn't take the deal."
If the deal isn't done, the deal that we made, then I'm going to take out their bridges and their power plants," Trump said.
"If they don't sign this thing, the whole country is going to get blown up." Fox News cited Trump as saying.
"We're preparing to hit them harder than any country has ever been hit before because you cannot let them have a nuclear weapon," the US President continued as per the US broadcaster. Trump went on to say that Iran has "agreed to much" of the deal already.
Meanwhile, today, Trump told the New York Post that the American negotiating team, which includes Vice President JD Vance, Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, has left for Islamabad to hold talks with Iran.
Trump shared the details in an interview with the New York Post.
He also brushed aside Iran's claims that it will not participate in the latest round of ceasefire negotiations in Pakistan, and added that he would be willing to meet with senior Iranian leaders if a breakthrough is reached.
Trump told the New York Post that the talks rest on one non-negotiable demand-- Iran to give up on its nuclear pursuits.
"Get rid of their nuclear weapons. That's all very simple," he said. "There will be no nuclear weapon."
When asked what the consequences would be if ceasefire negotiations collapse, Trump told the New York Post, "Well, I don't want to get into that with you," he said when asked whether the US would escalate measures, such as seizing additional ships tied to Iran. "You can imagine. It wouldn't be pretty."
The remarks by Trump come after the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday stated that Tehran currently has no plans for a subsequent round of negotiations with the United States, according to the state media Tasnim news agency.
The developments come at a critical time as international mediators had hoped for a follow-up to the Islamabad talks before the looming ceasefire deadline.
With the ceasefire set to lapse on Wednesday, the Islamabad talks represent the final diplomatic off-ramp before a potential escalation into full-scale infrastructure warfare. While the US maintains that a "fair and reasonable" deal is on the table, the Iranian leadership's refusal to negotiate under the "shadow of a blockade" suggests that the 21-hour marathon of the previous round may have been just a prelude to a much darker confrontation. (ANI)