In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, President Rouhani wrote that "current U.S. foreign policy toward Iran is out of step with the realities on the ground... fed by disinformation and fake analysis from terrorist groups and Israel, the U.S. administration is under the illusion that resorting to sanctions will lead to concessions from Iran. Iranians, though, are known to close ranks and put up stiff resistance in the face of external pressure". Warning that Iran "will pursue a different course of action" if its interests are not secured through the JCPOA, Rouhani also assessed that "Trump's offer of direct talks with Iran is not honest or genuine".