Iran President Tells US It Must Decide Whether to End War
Iranian President Places Responsibility on US to End Conflict
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a US television interview aired Thursday that it is for the United States to choose whether to end its war in Iran as Tehran does not wish to continue fighting. [1] Pezeshkian took a defiant stand at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, telling the world that Iran would not bend at the knee to Washington even as US President Donald Trump acknowledged ongoing US-Iran talks. [1] When we can resolve issues through dialog, we shouldn’t resort to killing one another, Pezeshkian said on Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier. [1] But with the instigations conducted by Israel, they have imposed this war on us, he said. [1] But we do not wish to continue. It’s America that must choose whether it wants to end this or not, he said in remarks translated by the broadcaster. [1] Pezeshkian insisted Iran was ready to strike a deal with Trump to end the conflict. [1] Why is it that within two weeks after the signing of an agreement, they chose to blow it up, he said of the collapse of a shaky ceasefire. [1] If the current American government, within international legal frameworks, wishes to reach an agreement, fine. If not, before the US midterm elections or after the elections, what difference does it make for us, he said. [1] Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said it was up to the United States to choose when the Iran war will end, when asked if the conflict could end by the end of the year. [3] But we do not wish to continue. It's America that must choose whether it wants to end this or not, Pezeshkian said, responding to the question in an interview aired on Thursday on Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier show. [3] Iran's president told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday Tehran would never surrender to US pressure as the two sides have remained far apart on how to end the war. [3]
Background and Timeline of the US-Israel-Iran War
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he could annihilate Iran if there is no deal to end the war, but also suggested an agreement could come soon. [3] Trump has offered shifting goals and timelines for the war that began on February 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran and Tehran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host US bases. [3] US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. [3] Trump has cited weakening Iran's nuclear capabilities as one of his war objectives. [3] Iran, which does not have nuclear weapons, denies seeking them. [3] The US is nuclear-armed. [3] The National Iranian American Council filed a lawsuit against US President Donald Trump on Thursday, asking a federal judge to declare the US war on Iran unconstitutional, given that Trump did not seek congressional authority and has no timeline to end it. [4] When both chambers of Congress voted in favour of a War Powers resolution in June to rein in Trump's ability to continue attacks on Iran, the White House responded that there are no present hostilities from which to remove US Armed Forces, because the hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated with the ceasefire ordered by the President on April 7, 2026. [4] The ceasefire agreed in April, however, has barely held, with the US carrying out multi-day bombings across Iran's southern coast including a strike on a wedding earlier this month. [4] If you've been bombing another country for seven months now, that's a war. If you oppose a blockade, that's a war. And when you're killing all these people and spending $43 billion, that's a war, Morrison said. [4]
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a television interview about the US-Iran conflict. — Source: middleeasteye
Diplomatic Efforts and Recent Talks
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took part in a meeting with Trump’s roving envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. [1] Their talks did not immediately yield a breakthrough. [1] Pezeshkian insisted Iran was ready to strike a deal with Trump to end the conflict. [1] If the current American government, within international legal frameworks, wishes to reach an agreement, fine. If not, before the US midterm elections or after the elections, what difference does it make for us, he said. [1]
Iran's Position on Houthi Militants
As violence raged between Yemen’s Houthi militant movement widely seen to be Iran-backed and Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni allies, Pezeshkian insisted the Houthis do not take direction from Tehran’s government. [1] Washington and its allies, including Saudi Arabia, and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, accuse Iran of backing the Houthi militant movement that is raining ballistic missiles on the kingdom, and battling Riyadh-backed forces for control of Yemen. [1] The Houthis are responsible for their own actions. They don’t take directions from us as those who are resisting in the region, based on the situations that have been imposed on them, Pezeshkian said, according to the broadcaster’s translation of his remarks. [1] We have contacts with them. There is no systematic relationship, he added. [1] Saudi Arabia intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles on Thursday after issuing warnings for several regions including Mecca. [1] The Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, hitting its tankers and territory and seizing swathes of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, which is vital for Saudi oil exports, causing energy prices to jump. [1] Their gains cemented the hold of Iran and its allies on the two waterways that the wider Gulf, including top crude exporter Saudi Arabia, relies on to ship out its oil and other fuel products. [1]
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Lawsuit Challenging Constitutionality of the War
The complaint for declaratory relief was filed by prominent constitutional lawyers Alan Morrison and Bruce Fein in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. [4] We'll take it as far as we can, whether the court wants to hear us or not, Morrison told reporters assembled for the announcement at the National Press Club. [4] Yes, the US Supreme Court has been reluctant to opine on the war power issue in 236 years but I think this is really an unprecedented time, given the fact that both House and Senate voted against the war, he added. [4] The dynamic is different and makes the court more likely to take this case. [4] Donald Trump, I think, has exposed the areas in our system in which we thought there were guardrails, but they're just gentlemen's agreements, Jamal Abdi, NIAC's president, told reporters on Thursday. [4] It's a moment to not just end this catastrophe, but to set a precedent for the future, so that presidents can't take our country into a war without any authorisation, and I hope that others are also compelled to settle this question because it is a matter of life and death. [4] The US Constitution's Declare War Clause, which NIAC accuses Trump of violating, maintains that only Congress has the power to declare war. [4] The courts are the place to have a constitutional question answered, Fein said on Thursday. [4] The president says he has the authority, and everybody else says he doesn't have the authority, and that's why we're in court to try to settle that question. [4] The Trump administration, in a messaging blitz led by Vice President JD Vance, has insisted in recent weeks that reporters avoid the term war and instead refer to occasional hostilities or skirmishes. [4] NIAC's 16-page lawsuit, filed by its advocacy arm, NIAC Action, lists eight Iranian Americans who have been directly and adversely impacted by Trump's bombings. [4] Among them is Kowsar Gowhari, who attended Thursday's press conference and said she lost four family members in Iran, including a 70-year-old cousin and a two-month-old baby. [4] I see it as an absolute responsibility not to allow the story of their loss to remain untold, she said. [4] America is my country, the country in which I'm living. I cannot remain indifferent to my responsibilities as a citizen of this country, which views itself as a beacon of freedom, democracy, and human values. I feel it's imperative to see this war end here and now, she said. [4] Another member of NIAC named in the filing, Nima Dilmaghani, is said to have an injured cousin after the company warehouse where she worked was bombed. [4] The relative suffered a broken leg, serious damage to her eardrums, and the loss of an index finger, which surgeons reattached but has lost motion, NIAC said. [4] Approximately ten of her coworkers were also killed. [4] An Iranian-American US Army veteran cited in the filing, Alan Band, said his family in northern Tehran have felt buildings and windows shake from nearby explosions and experienced repeated interruptions to water and electricity. [4] Parveen Esmaeilzadeh’s in-laws in Iran remain under threat of continued strikes as they experience severe PTSD and trauma, as well as economic hardship, the filing said. [4] Her mother-in-law's building now has cracks in its foundation, and her nieces and nephews haven't had any schooling since the 28 February start of the joint US-Israeli war. [4] This lawsuit asks a fundamental question: can one person decide, on his own, to keep an entire nation at war, Abdi said. [4]
Economic and Aviation Disruptions from Prolonged Fighting
Qatar Airways retires idle A330s and sends pilots to RwandAir as Iran war drags on. [2]
What to watch next: Pezeshkian said if the current American government within international legal frameworks wishes to reach an agreement fine, and if not before the US midterm elections or after the elections what difference does it make for us. [1]
