Pezeshkian: Iran No Longer Trusts Washington
Iran’s president flew home saying the door is open but the faith is gone. “We have no trust in the American side and do not know on what basis an understanding can be reached with it,” he said, adding after meeting the UN Secretary-General that Iran “has not walked away from the negotiating table, but given past experiences, it no longer trusts the United States”. Qatar and Pakistan are relaying messages. He denied Iran closed the strait, saying America “closed the routes before us”.
The interview is most revealing where it distances Tehran from its own proxies. On Yemen he said Houthi actions are “not connected to Iran”, urged direct Houthi-Saudi dialogue on the grounds that “a brother should not fight his brother”, and insisted “we will not be warmongers” — a striking set of disavowals in the week Saudi Arabia invoked a mutual-defence pact over Houthi missiles. He also rejected the idea of any state policing the region: “we do not need a regional policeman.” The June memorandum lapsed last month and he says Washington must clarify where it stands on it. With the American answer now a public refusal, the question is whether the Qatari and Pakistani channels stay open or close with it. Watch for any Iranian move at the strait itself.