The Iranian President told Fox News: We seek to reach an agreement with Washington and end the war with its hands
Masoud Pezeshkian confirms his country's readiness to reduce uranium enrichment if an agreement is reached, and denies that the Houthis received orders from Tehran.
Quick Look
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Fox News that Iran is seeking an agreement with the United States, but ending the war is in Washington's hands, stressing his country's readiness to reduce uranium enrichment, and denying that the Houthis received orders from Tehran.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi held Qatari-brokered talks in New York with US envoy Steve Witkoff.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Fox News on Thursday that Iran is still seeking to reach an agreement with the United States, but ending the war is in Washington's hands.
“We are seeking to reach an agreement if the other party agrees to it,” Pezeshkian said in an interview with “Special Report with Bret Baier” on Fox News.
He added: "America must choose whether it wants to end this war or not."
The Iranian president added that the recent talks that took place this week between negotiators from his country and Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, including Tehran's demands, came "within the framework of international law."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi held talks that lasted at least two hours, mediated by Qatar, in New York with Witkoff this week, in the first diplomatic gesture between the two countries since the signing of an unsuccessful agreement more than 3 months ago.
Pezeshkian also blamed the United States for the collapse of previous tracks of diplomacy.
He said: "Without any justification or legal framework, they attacked us (the United States). They assassinated our supreme leader, our scholars, our military commanders, and our government."
When asked whether Iran would reduce uranium enrichment levels - the key ingredient needed to make a nuclear bomb - if an agreement was reached, Pezeshkian indicated that Tehran would do so.
He reiterated that Iran does not seek to manufacture a nuclear weapon.
The Iranian president also denied the existence of a systematic relationship with armed groups in the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
Last month, Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen launched missiles and drones targeting energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, and even reached the capital, Riyadh, for the first time in years.
Pezeshkian denied that the Yemeni group was receiving orders from Tehran.
He said: "The Houthis are responsible for their actions. They do not receive directions from us."
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Diplomatic talks continue, mediated by Qatar, between Iran and the United States
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Will Washington agree to resume formal negotiations?
- What are the details of Tehran's demands in the negotiations?
