Pezeshkian: The US must decide whether to end the war

It is the USA that "must decide" whether to end the war: "We did not choose war, we were attacked and we had to defend ourselves". Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said this in an interview with Fox News, in response to a question about his predictions regarding the end of the conflict.

"When we can resolve issues through dialogue, we should not resort to killing each other. But, due to Israel's provocations, this war was forced on us," the Iranian president added. "However, we do not want to continue. It is America that has to choose whether to end it or not," Pezeshkian noted, reiterating that Iran is ready to reach an agreement with President Donald Trump to end the conflict. "Why did they choose to blow everything up just two weeks after signing the agreement?" he asked, referring to the failure of the fragile truce. "If the current American government wants to reach an agreement within the international legal framework, fine. If not, whether it is before or after the (US midterm) elections, what difference does it make to us?" Pezeshkian insisted that the Houthis do not receive orders from Tehran. Washington and its allies, including Saudi Arabia and the Riyadh-backed Yemeni government, accuse Iran of supporting the militant Houthi movement, which is responsible for launching ballistic missiles against the Kingdom and fighting against Riyadh-backed forces for control of Yemen. "The Houthis are responsible for their own actions. They do not receive orders from us: they act as a resistance force in the region, based on the situations that have been imposed on them," Pezeshkian said, according to the translation provided by Fox News. "We have contact with them, but there is no systematic relationship," he added.