Iranian President: We Must Manage Relationship and Confrontation with the US Ourselves

Photo published by the Iranian presidency on Tuesday of a meeting chaired by Pezeshkian.
Photo published by the Iranian presidency on Tuesday of a meeting chaired by Pezeshkian.
TT
20

Iranian President: We Must Manage Relationship and Confrontation with the US Ourselves

Photo published by the Iranian presidency on Tuesday of a meeting chaired by Pezeshkian.
Photo published by the Iranian presidency on Tuesday of a meeting chaired by Pezeshkian.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Tuesday for the “management” of the tense relations between Tehran and Washington, emphasizing the need to “deal with enemies with patience.” This statement comes a week after Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.
According to official media, Pezeshkian told current and former senior officials in the diplomatic sector that Iran cannot ignore its longstanding adversary, the United States.
“Whether we like it or not, we will have to engage with the United States on both regional and international fronts; therefore, it is better that we manage this relationship and confrontation ourselves,” he stated.
Pezeshkian was speaking at an “advisory” meeting on foreign policy with former Iranian FMs and members of his administration, including Ali Akbar Velayati and Kamal Kharazi, the top advisors to the Supreme Leader on international affairs and foreign policy, along with former foreign minister and head of the Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi.
The Iranian presidency’s website quoted Pezeshkian as saying that his administration’s approach to foreign policy would be “within the framework of a comprehensive strategy aligned with the directives of the governing system,” indirectly referencing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The reformist-backed president stated: “We must treat our friends generously and approach our enemies with patience,” underscoring the importance of managing foreign relations and addressing international tensions to solve internal issues and promote development.
Several officials in Pezeshkian’s administration, along with pro-government newspapers, have hinted at discussions on the possibility of high-level negotiations with the Trump administration.
Earlier on Tuesday, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani stated that Iran would pursue whatever serves its “interests,” in response to a question on potential direct talks with the Trump administration.
“The government will strive to achieve whatever ensures the country’s interests and the values of the revolution,” she said, according to the government’s ISNA news agency.
She added that the final decision on negotiations rests with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Supreme National Security Council under his authority.

 

 

 



Al Shabaab Captures Strategic Somalia Town as it Presses Offensive

Vehicles of the Somali special police forces are parked during a handover ceremony in Mogadishu, Somalia, 14 April 2025. EPA/SAID YUSUF WARSAME
Vehicles of the Somali special police forces are parked during a handover ceremony in Mogadishu, Somalia, 14 April 2025. EPA/SAID YUSUF WARSAME
TT
20

Al Shabaab Captures Strategic Somalia Town as it Presses Offensive

Vehicles of the Somali special police forces are parked during a handover ceremony in Mogadishu, Somalia, 14 April 2025. EPA/SAID YUSUF WARSAME
Vehicles of the Somali special police forces are parked during a handover ceremony in Mogadishu, Somalia, 14 April 2025. EPA/SAID YUSUF WARSAME

Al Shabaab fighters captured a town in central Somalia on Wednesday that government forces had been using as a staging area to drive back an offensive by the militants that has gained ground in recent weeks, residents and soldiers said.
Advances by the al Qaeda affiliate, which included briefly capturing villages within 50 km (30 miles) of Mogadishu last month, have left residents of the capital on edge as rumors swirl that al Shabaab could target the city.
The army has recaptured those villages, but al Shabaab continues to advance in the countryside, leading the government to deploy police officers and prison guards to support the military, soldiers have told Reuters.
Six residents and three soldiers said al Shabaab seized the town of Adan Yabaal, which lies around 245 km (150 miles) north of Mogadishu, in heavy fighting on Wednesday.
"After many hours of fighting we made a tactical retreat," said Aden Ismail, a military officer who transported injured soldiers to the nearby Hiiraan region.
The army and allied clan militias have been using Adan Yabaal as an operating base for raids against al Shabaab.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who hails from the area, visited the town last month to meet with military commanders there about sending reinforcements.
"If al Shabaab captures one town, that does not mean they overpowered us," Mohamud said in a speech on Wednesday, without directly naming the town. "There is a big difference between a war and a battle."
Al Shabaab said in a statement that its forces had overrun 10 military installations during Wednesday's fighting.
"After early morning prayers, we heard a deafening explosion, then gunfire," Fatuma Nur, a mother of four, told Reuters by telephone from Adan Yabaal. "Al Shabaab attacked us from two directions."
National government officials were either not reachable or did not respond to requests for comment.
The fighting comes as the future of international security support to Somalia has grown increasingly precarious.
A new African Union peacekeeping mission replaced a larger force at the start of the year, but its funding is uncertain, with the United States opposed to a plan to transition to a UN financing model.