Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has alleged that Israel, which last month engaged in a 12-day war with Iran, attempted to assassinate him.
Pezeshkian made the claim in an interview released on Monday with US media personality Tucker Carlson. When asked whether he believed Israel had tried to kill him, Pezeshkian responded, “They did try, yes. They acted accordingly, but they failed.”
“It was not the United States that was behind the attempt on my life. It was Israel. I was in a meeting… they tried to bombard the area in which we were holding that meeting,” he said, according to a translation of his remarks from Persian, apparently referring to an alleged assassination attempt during the recent conflict.
On June 13, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, targeting top military commanders and nuclear scientists. These attacks came just days before Tehran and Washington were scheduled to begin a new round of nuclear negotiations on April 12.
The intense fighting left more than 900 people dead in Iran, according to figures from the country’s judiciary. In response, Iran launched waves of retaliatory drone and missile strikes that killed 28 people in Israel, based on information provided by Israeli authorities.
The 12-day war also saw Israel, together with the United States, carry out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities located at Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz.
During the interview with Carlson, Pezeshkian addressed the prospect of resuming stalled nuclear talks with Washington. He said Iran had “no problem” returning to negotiations, but stressed the importance of rebuilding confidence.
“We see no problem in re-entering the negotiations,” Pezeshkian said. “There is a condition … for restarting the talks. How are we going to trust the United States again? We re-entered the negotiations, then how can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us.”