Shahram Khaledi, a researcher in Middle Eastern history and international relations, referred to remarks by Masoud Pezeshkian saying that the United States has no desire for the existence of the Islamic Republic, but that negotiations by officials from this country have pushed them to cooperate with Tehran.

He said that Pezeshkian follows the same narrative that the Islamic Republic has used since the era of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami to present to public opinion and Western governments the dual portrayal of “reformist and principlist.”

He added that this narrative is part of the Islamic Republic’s psychological war and propaganda and is pursued with the aim of influencing public opinion and Western political circles.