Iran's Pezeshkian Proposes Strait of Hormuz Reopening, Cites 'Atmosphere of Distrust' With U.S.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sat down with CBS News on Friday to explain why he would not have met with President Trump in New York that week, despite the American leader's stated openness to such a conversation. The answer, Pezeshkian said, came down to a fundamental problem: an "atmosphere of distrust" that has calcified between the two countries over years of broken commitments and escalating hostility.

The Iranian president, who is also a trained physician, had concrete reasons for his skepticism. He recited a catalog of American actions—sanctions imposed even during negotiations, threats of military force, direct strikes on Iranian targets—and asked a question that cut to the heart of the impasse: if the U.S. will not honor what it puts in writing, why should Iran believe it will honor anything agreed to in talks? "Every day, they increase the sanctions against us. Every day, they threaten us. Every day, they strike us," he said. "And they don't honor what they have put in writing."

Yet Pezeshkian was not simply closing the door. His foreign minister had just announced a concrete proposal during the United Nations General Assembly: Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz—a critical waterway through which roughly a third of the world's seaborne oil passes—within seven days, and restart nuclear negotiations with the United States as a first step toward a final deal. The offer sat on the table, awaiting an American response that had not yet come.

The proposal emerged from the wreckage of a ceasefire agreement that had collapsed in July. That 60-day memorandum of understanding was meant to create space for serious negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, but it fell apart after Iran targeted commercial shipping vessels and the U.S. responded with military strikes. The core dispute remains unresolved: the U.S. insists Iran must not control the waterways entering the Strait of Hormuz or charge tolls for passage, while Iran demands that ships seek permission and follow Iranian-approved routes. Pezeshkian suggested that if the U.S. would operate within the framework of the original agreement, Iran would abide by it.

On the nuclear question itself, Pezeshkian offered a measured opening. He said Iran would now allow United Nations nuclear inspectors into the country—a significant statement, given that the International Atomic Energy Agency had previously been denied full access. When pressed on whether weapons inspectors would be permitted, he affirmed the same commitment, adding that inspections could be negotiated as part of broader talks. At the same time, he maintained Iran's long-standing position that developing nuclear weapons is forbidden under Islamic law, and that even if some Iranians wanted to pursue such a path, "religiously speaking, they are not allowed to pursue that path." Iran has enriched uranium to near weapons-grade levels in recent years but denies any intention to build a bomb.

Pezeshkian also addressed questions about his communications with Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader, who has not appeared in public since an Israeli-American attack earlier in the year killed his father, the previous supreme leader. Pezeshkian, speaking as a physician, insisted that Khamenei has "no specific ongoing health issues or challenges" and that injuries to his face and legs have healed. They had met twice, he said, once for more than seven hours. When asked whether Khamenei was directly advising him on diplomatic matters, Pezeshkian explained that decisions flow through a team of six members drawn from security forces, parliament, and government agencies.

The Iranian president's message was layered: a proposal on the table, a willingness to negotiate under certain conditions, but also a deep wariness born of repeated disappointments. Trump had said during his General Assembly speech that he faced a "big decision"—whether to cut a deal with Iran or "annihilate" the country—and predicted no agreement would come before the midterms. Pezeshkian's appearance suggested Iran was testing whether the Trump administration would engage seriously or pursue a harder line on uranium enrichment than the Obama-era nuclear deal had allowed. The answer would determine whether the Strait of Hormuz reopened or remained a flashpoint in an unresolved conflict.