Iranian president says open to dialogue with US, accuses Israel of assassination bid

WASHINGTON: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he believes Iran can resolve its differences with the United States through dialogue, but trust would be an issue after US and Israeli attacks on his country, according to an interview released on Monday."I am of the belief that we could very much easily resolve our differences and conflicts with the United States through dialogue and talks," Pezeshkian told conservative US podcaster Tucker Carlson in an interview conducted on Saturday. The Iranian president urged US President Trump not to be drawn into war with Iran by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who is visiting Washington on Monday for talks at the White House."The US president is capable enough to guide the region towards the peace and a brighter future and put Israel in its place. Or get into a pit, an endless pit, or a swamp," Pezeshkian said. "So it is up to the US president to choose which path." He blamed Israel for the collapse of talks that were in place when Israel began its strikes on Iran on June 13, starting a 12-day air war with Israel in which top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists were killed.

"How are we going to trust the US again?" the Iranian president said. "How can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us?"Pezeshkian also said Israel tried to assassinate him. "They did try, yes," he said. "They acted accordingly, but they failed." Israel did not immediately respond to the allegation. A senior Israeli military official said last month Israel killed more than 30 senior security officials and 11 senior nuclear scientists in its attack on to Iran's nuclear sites.Trump said he expected to discuss Iran and its nuclear ambitions with Netanyahu, praising the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as a tremendous success. On Friday, he told reporters that he believed Tehran's nuclear programme had been set back permanently, although Iran could restart efforts elsewhere. Iran has always denied seeking a nuclear weapon. (This is a Reuters story)