Masoud Pezeshkian: Islamic Republic stuck in worst state of no war, no peace

Masoud Pezeshkian, head of the Islamic Republic's government, admitted on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, that the country is trapped in the worst possible situation, a state of "no war, no peace". The admission came as the US naval blockade, the closure of border crossings and the halt in oil exports put Iran's economy under unprecedented pressure.

Referring to the killing of Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic's former leader, Pezeshkian said the government had chosen the path of negotiation to resolve the crisis, but its leader was killed in the course of it. According to him, Khamenei had told officials before he was killed to resolve the no war, no peace problem. At the same time, Pezeshkian said the Islamic Republic does not seek war but will not yield to force and bullying.

Araghchi: we have given the US our proposal

Meanwhile Abbas Araghchi, the Islamic Republic's foreign minister, wrote in an article in the Financial Times that Tehran has no trust in the US government's sincerity in claiming to want peace, citing US attacks during the previous round of negotiations. He wrote that the White House has shown no willingness to reach an understanding on the way forward while threatening more violence. Araghchi also told state television that the Islamic Republic has given its proposal to the US, and that if Washington wants progress in the talks and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, it must accept Tehran's conditions.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier said Washington welcomes mediation by Qatar and Pakistan but will not support any agreement that leaves the Islamic Republic a path to a nuclear weapon.

Rift over ending the war

Pezeshkian's remarks are the latest sign of confusion at the top of the regime. DIAR had earlier reported on the rift between Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf's faction and the hardliners over ending the war and Araghchi's position that the Strait of Hormuz stays closed without a deal. While the head of government speaks of a deadlock, the IRGC keeps attacking commercial ships in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and the people of Iran pay the cost of this deadlock through high prices, unemployment and isolation.

The head of the Islamic Republic's government admitted that the regime is trapped in the worst state of no war, no peace.