Pezeshkian says Iran does not want war

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkianin, in a Fox Tv televised interview, said Iran does not want the war with the United States to continue and insisted that Washington must decide whether the conflict ends. Speaking in a televised interview during his visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, he blamed the U.S. for blocking diplomacy and argued that Iran had been pushed into defending itself after attacks and sanctions.

He denied that Tehran is seeking a nuclear bomb, saying Iran’s supreme leader has issued religious rulings against weapons of mass destruction. Pezeshkian said Iran is willing to open its nuclear program to international verification and even lower enrichment levels if that helps ease tensions. He said Tehran had already reached a framework with President Donald Trump, but that process collapsed after the outbreak of violence.

Pezeshkian accused Washington of choosing military force over negotiations, saying the U.S. bombed Iran first and then closed every path to a settlement. He said Iran had not wanted confrontation and still preferred an agreement, but not one imposed through pressure, blockades, or sanctions. He also said Iran would continue to resist economically and politically if the U.S. kept trying to force its will.

On reports that Chinese satellite images may have helped Iran target U.S. troops, he said he knew nothing about such claims. He added that he could not speak for military cooperation between countries. Asked about the health of Iran’s supreme leader, he said he had recently met him for hours and found him completely fit to govern.