🔻Massoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran, in a video interview that was published by the government news agency — IRNA — said that, in his view, the reason the country has been able to hold its ground in the war against the United States and Israel is the support of the people; people who, he said, in his view “are all those who live in this country; regardless of their belief, faith, perspective, gender, or ethnicity.”

Mr. Pezeshkian, in this interview—whose first part was published on Wednesday, 14 Mordad—also talked about his discussions with Ali Khamenei, the former Supreme Leader of Iran, about facilitating the return of Iranians living abroad to Iran. He said: “If someone is not supposed to be allowed entry, they should be told clearly from the outset that they should not come; not that they enter the country and then they get detained and are not allowed to return. This is dishonorable.”

He also spoke in the interview about the views of the new Iranian leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, including that “it is currently very difficult to get in touch with Mojtaba Khamenei.”

Mr. Pezeshkian, in this interview, which had been recorded to mark the second anniversary of his presidency, said that the current leader of the government had said that if, in a meeting of the Supreme National Security Council, three quarters to one vote in favor of a plan, he would accept it.