Tehran ready to pursue diplomacy to end war if rights safeguarded: Pezeshkian

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Tehran remains ready to pursue diplomatic efforts to end the conflict with the United States and Israel, while insisting that Iran’s national rights and interests must be protected.

During a phone conversation with Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, Pezeshkian expressed deep mistrust of Washington, accusing the United States of undermining diplomacy through military action during ongoing negotiations.

According to a statement released by the Iranian president’s office, Pezeshkian described recent US actions against Iran as “stabbing Iran in the back”, referring to two attacks carried out during the period of bilateral talks.

The conversation came amid renewed speculation over a possible diplomatic breakthrough between Tehran and Washington. Earlier in the day, Axios reported that the United States and Iran were moving closer to a one-page framework agreement aimed at ending hostilities.

According to the report, the proposed deal could involve Iran agreeing to a temporary moratorium on nuclear enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief from the United States. The framework was also said to include measures related to restoring unrestricted transit through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

Iran, the United States and Israel agreed to a ceasefire on 8 April following 40 days of fighting triggered by US and Israeli strikes on 28 February.

Following the truce, Tehran and Washington held a round of indirect peace talks in Islamabad on 11 and 12 April, but the negotiations failed to produce a final agreement.

Over recent weeks, both sides have exchanged multiple proposals aimed at ending the conflict, with Iranian officials currently reviewing the latest US offer.

However, Tehran has strongly denied reports suggesting that a final agreement is imminent or that new written proposals have recently been exchanged.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency dismissed the reports as “fabricated”, alleging they were intended to influence global markets and push oil prices lower rather than reflect actual developments in negotiations.

Citing two unnamed sources, Fars reported that Iran had not yet responded to the latest US proposal, which was reportedly delivered through Pakistan.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was still assessing the proposal and would issue a response only after completing a full review.

With IANS inputs