Iran no longer trusts talks with Washington: Pezeshkian
ehran awaits US response to seven-day ceasefire proposal.
Highlights:
- Iran awaits Washington's response to proposal
- Tehran seeks Hormuz reopening within seven days
- Plan calls for sanctions waiver and asset release
- Qatar, Pakistan relay messages between both sides
- Pezeshkian rejects claims over Hormuz disruption
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says Tehran no longer trusts negotiations with Washington, arguing that previous diplomatic efforts were followed by military strikes and economic sanctions.
In an interview aired by Qatar-based Al Jazeera today (26 September),
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Pezeshkian said Iran was awaiting a US response to a proposal aimed at ending the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran and restoring shipping through the Strait of Hormuz within seven days.
"We have no trust in the American side and do not know on what basis an understanding can be reached with it," he said.
The proposal was outlined by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during the Iranian delegation's visit to New York for the UN General Assembly.
Tehran sets out seven-day framework
Under the proposed timetable, initial procedural steps would take four to five days, with the Strait of Hormuz reopening on the sixth day. Direct negotiations between Iran and the US on mutually agreed issues, including Tehran's nuclear programme, would then begin on the seventh day, according to Araghchi.
The proposal calls for Washington to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waive sanctions on Iranian petroleum exports and unfreeze about $12 billion in Iranian assets.
It also seeks a regional ceasefire covering Lebanon and Yemen.
In return, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime route for global oil and gas shipments, after the conflict is halted.
Pezeshkian said Qatar and Pakistan were acting as intermediaries and passing messages between Tehran and Washington.
He said the initiative remained linked to a memorandum of understanding reached in June and that Iran wanted Washington to clarify its position after the earlier pact lapsed.
Pezeshkian rejects blame over Hormuz
Pezeshkian rejected claims that Iran was responsible for disrupting commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
"The US closed the routes before us," he said, arguing that Iran's response came after access routes had been severed.
He said commercial shipping through the waterway could return to normal if an agreement was reached to end the conflict.
The Iranian president also described the US as the main aggressor and said Tehran had not launched an offensive against another country in two centuries.
He claimed foreign powers had expected the Iranian government to collapse within days of the attacks.
"We withstood the American and Israeli attacks, and we will continue to stand firm," he said.
Pezeshkian said Iranian forces were targeting US installations in the region because attacks on Iran were being launched from those facilities.
He also compared economic pressure on Iran with restrictions affecting Gaza, arguing that sanctions on medical and industrial imports would not achieve their intended objectives.
Iran calls for regional security framework
Pezeshkian said Middle Eastern countries should take the lead in maintaining regional security rather than relying on external powers.
"We do not need a regional policeman," he said, accusing Washington and Tel Aviv of creating divisions among Muslim countries to gain control over regional resources.
He said Saudi Arabia had the capacity to contribute to greater regional unity.
On the conflict in Yemen, Pezeshkian said Houthi operations were independent of Tehran, although Iran remained ideologically supportive of those facing what it described as injustice.
He called for dialogue between the Houthis and Saudi authorities and offered Iranian diplomatic assistance, while saying Tehran would not pursue a war-making role.
President denies internal divisions
Pezeshkian also dismissed reports of divisions within Iran's political leadership, saying the country remained internally united.
He confirmed that he had held two meetings with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, including a seven-hour session focused on strategic state affairs.
He also pledged structural reforms to address what he described as accumulated internal imbalances.
