Iranian President Slams U.S. Attacks and Proclaims ‘We Have No Trust in the American Side’

AP Photo/Vahid Salemi
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared the Middle East doesn’t need “a regional policeman” and said the Strait of Hormuz can only be secured through negotiations — while slamming the United States and saying his country has “no trust” in Washington.
The remarks came as the conflict between Iran and the United States, which has claimed at least 37 American lives, nears the seven month mark.
Speaking Saturday with Al-Jazeera, Pezeshkian said negotiations between Iran and the United States have been ongoing through third-parties, including Qatar and Pakistan.
But he insisted his country — notorious for the brutal treatment of its own people — had lost faith in Washington D.C. because of America’s repeated attacks during the talks.
“We have no trust in the American side and do not know on what basis an understanding can be reached with it,” Pezeshkian told the outlet Saturday.
Force cannot solve any crisis around the critical oil passageway of the Strait of Hormuz, he said.
“We withstood the American and Israeli attacks, and we will continue to stand firm,” the Iranian leader said.
Pezeshkian — whose country has repeatedly attacked its neighbors during the now nearly-seven month conflict with the United States — insisted security in the region had to come from cooperation.
“We don’t need a regional policeman,” he told the outlet.
The comments came after Iran put forth a new plan during the United Nations General Assembly to reopen the Strait — after President Donald Trump claimed during his address to the UN that he was considering whether to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic.
Iran has proposed resuming nuclear talks in seven days provided that the United States ends its naval blockade of the Strait, agrees to a ceasefire and ends sanctions.
The United States and Israel launched joint airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
Trump has apparently already rejected the Iranian proposal, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reported the president “expects to resume bombing” after the midterm elections.
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