Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in New York that whether the war with Iran ends is a decision for the United States to make, according to The Hindu. Speaking to reporters at a hotel in the city, he also insisted that Iran will not surrender, a position reported by Dawn and Reuters.
Pezeshkian used the same remarks to deny that Tehran is seeking to kill President Donald Trump, CNN reported. His comments followed what Dawn described as an annihilation threat from Trump.
On the diplomatic track, an Iranian official said the two sides remain far apart in the peace talks, according to Reuters. Pezeshkian has separately said Tehran wants an agreement with Washington before the U.S. midterm elections, NBC News reported.
The statements put the Iranian leadership's public position on record at a moment when negotiations are continuing but have yet to produce a breakthrough. The Hindu's account places the decision on ending the conflict with the U.S. side, while the Iranian president's other remarks, as carried by Dawn and Reuters, rule out capitulation.
What to watch next is whether the talks narrow the gap the Iranian official described, and whether Washington responds to Pezeshkian's framing of the choice as its own.
