Iran's President Says It Is Up to US to End the War

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview aired Thursday on Fox News that it is up to the United States, not Iran, to decide whether the war between the two countries comes to an end. Asked whether the conflict could be resolved by the end of the year, Pezeshkian told the network's 'Special Report with Bret Baier': 'But we do not wish to continue. It's America that must choose whether it wants to end this or not.'

The interview came against the backdrop of a tense diplomatic situation. Just a day earlier, on Wednesday, Pezeshkian had delivered a defiant address at the United Nations in New York, declaring that Iran would not 'bend at the knee' to Washington. This public show of resolve stands in some contrast to his simultaneous suggestions of willingness to negotiate in the Fox News interview.

US President Donald Trump separately acknowledged that talks between Washington and Tehran were ongoing. The available reports do not specify the content, format or progress of these discussions, nor at what level or toward what specific goal the contacts are taking place.

Russian state news agency TASS additionally reported that Pezeshkian suggested Iran could give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium as part of a potential deal with the United States, provided such an arrangement complies with international law. This particular claim was not covered in the same form by other outlets reviewed.

Turkish agency Anadolu quoted Pezeshkian as saying Iran had already reached an agreement with the US president and remained willing to move forward on that basis. This point, too, was not picked up uniformly across all sources, pointing to differing emphases in international coverage of the same interview.

Several outlets, including Reuters as carried by Al-Monitor and Britain's Middle East Eye, reported consistently on Pezeshkian's central message that the decision to end the war lies with the United States. This core claim appears to be broadly corroborated across the available reporting.

What remains unclear is how the parallel diplomatic signals — a stated willingness to negotiate on one hand, and a defiant posture at the United Nations on the other — relate to one another, and what concrete steps might follow. The precise status of the talks referenced by Trump, along with any possible timeline for a resolution, is not addressed in the available reports.

The situation therefore remains marked by uncertainty. While Pezeshkian's public statements signal both a readiness to compromise and a determination not to yield, the sources reviewed do not provide reliable information on whether or when an actual agreement between Washington and Tehran might be reached.