Masoud Pezeshkian has blamed the U.S. for the collapse of recent peace talks, citing what he described as excessive demands and insufficient political commitment from Washington.

In a phone call with Emmanuel Macron, Mr Pezeshkian said these factors prevented an agreement from being finalised, according to Iran’s state-run broadcaster PressTV.

“In spite of the expert understandings reached between the parties, the excessiveness and lack of political will of senior U.S. officials have prevented the agreement from being finalised,” he stated.

Mr Pezeshkian restated that diplomacy remained Iran’s preferred approach, provided that the country’s national dignity and sovereignty are preserved.

The U.S. and Iran held direct negotiations over the weekend in Islamabad under Pakistani mediation, but the talks ended without a concrete outcome.

(dpa/NAN)