War and negotiations are "complementary," a senior aide to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday, defending talks with the US while saying Tehran would achieve its objectives in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region. Vice President for Legal Affairs Majid Ansari said Iran was not seeking war or hostility, but defended negotiations with Washington amid criticism at home. "We will achieve our objectives in the Strait of Hormuz and the region," Ansari said, adding that Iran was moving closer to a point where it could pursue regional security with its neighbors "without the presence and interference of foreigners." Ansari also warned that authorities would act against people inside Iran who created what he called "distractions" if they were found to be working for Iran's enemies. He said some critics of Iranian officials had moved into "incitement, propaganda, insults, slander and disruption of social order," adding that complaints had been filed with the Special Clerical Court and other authorities.