Iran's President: US Must Decide if It Wants to End Conflict

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that the United States holds the key to ending the "war" with Iran, responding to a question about whether the conflict could conclude by year's end. "We do not want to continue. But America must choose whether it wants to end this matter or not," Pezeshkian said in an interview broadcast on Fox News on Thursday evening.

Earlier on Wednesday, addressing the UN General Assembly, the Iranian president asserted that Tehran would never yield to American pressure, highlighting the ongoing divergence in positions regarding the war's resolution. This comes amidst statements from U.S. President Donald Trump, who on Tuesday declared his ability to "crush" Iran if a peace deal wasn't reached, while also hinting at the possibility of a swift agreement.

Trump has previously presented shifting objectives and timelines for the conflict, which began on February 28. The war was initiated by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, followed by retaliatory attacks from Tehran targeting Israel and Persian Gulf nations hosting U.S. bases. The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and related Israeli actions in Lebanon have resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions.

Trump had indicated that weakening Iran's nuclear capabilities was among the war's objectives. Iran, which denies pursuing nuclear weapons despite possessing nuclear technology for peaceful purposes as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, maintains it does not seek nuclear arms. The United States, conversely, possesses nuclear weapons.