Iran and U.S. remain far apart in peace talks, Iranian official says

Iran and the United States remain far apart on ending their war, though a senior Iranian official said Wednesday that diplomacy must continue, following President Masoud Pezeshkian's U.N. speech vowing Tehran will never surrender to U.S. pressure. Pezeshkian condemned what he called "signs of a bullying mentality" from U.S. President Donald Trump, who had used the same forum Tuesday to threaten to "annihilate" Iran. The dueling speeches bookended the first shuttle talks between the two nations in months, yielding no public concessions from either side. The war between the countries has persisted amid ongoing U.S. threats and Iranian defiance, with the U.N. gathering serving as a backdrop for their hardened public stances.