In interviews with Al Jazeera and CBS, the Iranian president rejects capitulation, warns of a decisive response to aggression and says any diplomatic breakthrough depends on Washington overcoming the distrust created by war.

NEW YORK -- President Masoud Pezeshkian used a series of high-profile interviews to deliver his most direct warnings yet to Washington, declaring that Iran no longer trusts negotiations with the United States and will respond forcefully to any continued aggression.

In an interview with Al Jazeera broadcast Saturday, Pezeshkian said Tehran has lost all confidence in American commitments.

“We have no trust in the American side and do not know on what basis an understanding can be reached with it,” he said. 

The Iranian president’s most striking remarks came in response to President Donald Trump’s threat to “annihilate” Iran if no deal is reached. Speaking to CBS News, Pezeshkian rejected a “bullying mentality.”

“The resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, increased pressure, increased bullying,” he said. “We will never bow our head or bend the knee”.

He made clear Iran would not capitulate under military or economic pressure. “We are ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations, without accepting the language of force,” he told CBS, while warning that any attack would be met with a decisive response.

Throughout both interviews, Pezeshkian said Iran is standing firm despite months of war. He said the United States and Israel had expected the Iranian government to collapse within days, but instead encountered a nation that “remained steadfast.”

“Those who believed they could target the Iranian people with sanctions made a miscalculation,” he said. He added that Washington and Tel Aviv have dragged regional countries into a war under false assumptions.

On the Strait of Hormuz, Pezeshkian rejected any suggestion that Iran has acted aggressively. “We did not close the Strait of Hormuz; it remained open. We were the ones attacked without any justification or legal basis,” he told CBS.

He said closing the waterway was “a natural response when paths are blocked for Iran”. “It cannot be the case that everyone benefits from the Strait of Hormuz while we are denied access to shipping through this waterway,” he said.

Pezeshkian laid out the core obstacle to any diplomatic breakthrough: the repeated pattern of negotiations followed by attacks and sanctions. He cited the U.S. and Israeli strike that martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, asking Americans to consider Iran’s perspective.

“Put yourself in our position. Imagine someone came and martyred your supreme leader. And then, not abide by everything you had agreed upon. What would be your reaction? It’s not something that can be resolved that simply,” he told CBS.

He said Washington is using negotiations as a cover for hostile action. “Why, then, does it bomb us in the middle of negotiations? Why does it come and kill our scientists, officials and people?” he asked.

“America’s intention is to overthrow our administration,” Pezeshkian said. “Israel says it in their own speech; what they’re doing is neutralizing the government, not negotiating”.

“The first thing that needs to happen is that the distrust created by this war has to be overcome. The United States needs to show that it does not intend to overthrow our government or our administration,” he told CBS.

He emphasized that the U.S. must clarify its position on the June memorandum of understanding, which Washington has violated.

Pezeshkian revealed that Iran’s new proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz has received the backing of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei.

He said a six-member Iranian team with decision-making authority has been meeting on the plan, and that if the United States accepts the proposal and fulfills its obligations, Iran will honor its commitments.

The proposal reportedly includes unfreezing Iranian assets, lifting oil sanctions, and ending the U.S. naval blockade.

Pezeshkian also addressed Iran’s regional role, saying Tehran is prepared to help resolve the Yemen war. He stressed that regional security can only be achieved through cooperation among regional countries.

“The region does not need a ‘policeman’,” he said. He reiterated Iran does not seek war but will defend itself decisively.

One of the clearest themes in the CBS interview was Pezeshkian's insistence that Iran's objective is not confrontation for its own sake but dignity and equal treatment.

“We have put our lives on the line for the nation, for our people,” he said, adding that Iran wants nothing from the world beyond being treated “with justice and dignity.”

He rejected the proposition that mounting economic hardship would eventually force Tehran to make unilateral concessions. Sanctions that restrict food and medicine, he said, ultimately affect civilians, including the sick, elderly and economically vulnerable.

Pezeshkian departed New York for Tehran on Saturday morning after completing a packed agenda of bilateral meetings and media engagements.