Iran's president stresses importance of diplomacy while noting distrust of US

DUBAI: Iranian ​President Masoud Pezeshkian said ​on Monday that every rational and ​diplomatic path should be used to reduce tensions with the U.S., but added that vigilance and distrust in ‌interactions with ⁠Washington ⁠were an "undeniable necessity", according to the state news agency IRNA.

A ​two-week ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. is ​set to expire on Wednesday, with U.S. representatives set to reach Islamabad for Iran negotiations on ​Monday while Tehran has ⁠yet to announce ‌whether it will send a ​delegation ​to Pakistan.

Iranian state TV quoted an ⁠unnamed informed source as saying there were ​no plans for a second round ​of negotiations due to the U.S.' "excessive and irrational" demands as well as its changing stances.


The adversaries are at loggerheads over the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran tightened control ‌over maritime transit as the U.S. continues to blockade Iranian ports and on ​Sunday took custody ​of a ⁠vessel trying to get past the American blockade.

Both Iran and the U.S. have accused each ​other of violating the ceasefire. Pezeshkian said the U.S. blockade showed that Washington was moving toward "repeating previous patterns and betraying diplomacy", according to state TV.