Pezeshkian says Iran ‘no longer trusts talks with Washington’

What the report says

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Al Jazeera that his government no longer trusts talks with Washington after earlier rounds of negotiations were followed by attacks and sanctions, underscoring the deep freeze in US-Iran relations. In the interview, aired on Saturday and published by Al Jazeera on September 26, 2026, he said Tehran is still awaiting a US reply to its latest proposal aimed at ending the war and easing pressure on the country.

Pezeshkian said Qatar and Pakistan are acting as intermediaries and relaying Iranian messages to the United States. He said the latest proposal was discussed during his visit to the United Nations in New York alongside Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. According to the article, Iran’s plan would involve a phased path toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming talks on a final agreement, while Washington would lift naval pressure, ease sanctions and release frozen Iranian funds. Al Jazeera reported that the draft also tied any broader deal to a ceasefire and to future discussions on Iran’s nuclear programme.

The Iranian president denied that Tehran was solely responsible for tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and described reopening the waterway as possible if diplomacy ends the conflict. He also cast the US and Israel as the aggressors and said Iran favors regional cooperation over outside intervention. The interview adds context to a wider regional crisis involving the US, Israel, Iran and Iran-aligned groups in Yemen and elsewhere, where control of shipping routes, sanctions relief and security guarantees remain central issues.