TEHRAN – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian carried out an online interview with an American journalist, where he spoke of the 12-day war with Israel, and how Iran finds it increasingly difficult to trust the U.S. when it comes to diplomacy.

“We were at the negotiating table. We were in talks; the U.S. President had asked us to engage in talks to establish peace,” Pezeshkian told Tucker Carlson. “During those talks, we were told that without U.S. permission, Israel would not launch any attacks. Yet, just before the sixth round — while we were still negotiating — Netanyahu practically dropped a bomb on the negotiating table and destroyed diplomacy.”

Pezeshkian took office in summer of 2024 promising his voters that he would enter talks with the U.S. to resolve issues between the two countries through dialogue. Indirect Iran-US talks on the Iranian nuclear program began in April of 2025. Only days ahead of a scheduled sixth round of negotiations, Israel unleashed airstrikes on Iranian soil, targeting the country’s nuclear sites, military and civilian infrastructure, and residential buildings. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later announced he had informed U.S. President Donald Trump prior to the assault. Trump personally joined the war on June 22 by striking three of the country’s nuclear sites in Natanz, Esfahan, and Fordow.

The war has increased domestic opposition, with various political groups saying the U.S. used the negotiations as a cover-up and that there is no point in sitting at the negotiating table again. “We have no problem with negotiation, but we need to be able to trust the U.S. again,” Pezeshkian said. “Israel must not be allowed to attack again right in the middle of talks and ignite a new war.”

Pezeshkian also addressed Iran’s decision to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), explaining that the UN nuclear watchdog is another party Iran has lost trust in. “The agency’s latest report gave Israel a pretext to launch illegal attacks on our nuclear sites. Regrettably, the IAEA did not even condemn this attack on facilities under its own oversight, which we had accepted under the NPT. From the standpoint of international law, this is unacceptable and has caused serious distrust among our people and lawmakers toward the agency.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the president said Iran is ready to defend itself should Israel and the U.S. launch another war against the Iranian nation. He added the country does not need Russia or China’s help to effectively push back against aggression.