Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said the United States must decide whether it wants to bring the Iran war to an end, while insisting Tehran does not want the conflict to continue.
Asked whether the war could end by the end of the year, Pezeshkian told Fox News that Iran was ready for the fighting to stop.
“But we do not wish to continue. It’s America that must choose whether it wants to end this or not,” he said in an interview aired on Thursday.
Pezeshkian had told the UN General Assembly a day earlier that Iran would not surrender to US pressure, as Washington and Tehran remain divided over the conditions needed to end the conflict.
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, warned on Tuesday that he could “annihilate” Iran if no deal was reached to end the war, while also suggesting an agreement could be possible.
The conflict began on February 28 after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with strikes against Israel and Gulf states hosting US military bases.
US and Israeli attacks on Iran, along with Israeli strikes on Lebanon, have killed thousands and displaced millions, according to figures cited by Reuters.
Trump has identified weakening Iran’s nuclear capabilities as one of the objectives of the war. Iran, which does not possess nuclear weapons, denies seeking them and says it has the right to pursue peaceful nuclear technology as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Despite the continuing conflict, both sides have signalled some openness to diplomacy. Iran has said it is prepared to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if Washington eases military pressure and lifts its blockade of Iranian ports.
