With the war between the United States and Iran now past the six-month mark, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Washington to implement the memorandum of understanding on ending the war that the two sides signed in June through Pakistani mediation.
Speaking at an event on the 29th, Pezeshkian said the truce memorandum "can support the unity and cooperation of countries in the region and help prevent the United States and Israel from creating chaos in West Asia," according to Iran's state-run Press TV. He made clear that Iran does not want war, while reaffirming that it would respond firmly to any act of aggression.
"Iran will continue to seek diplomatic solutions, but our long-standing position that we will not back down under any pressure remains unchanged," Pezeshkian said. "Implementing the memorandum can help resolve the various difficulties Iran currently faces, and solidarity among Islamic countries is needed to counter the schemes of outside forces."
A day earlier, Pezeshkian had said Iran would move to implement the memorandum if the United States kept its commitments, but would no longer consider itself bound by the agreement if Washington violated it.
The United States and Iran signed the memorandum in June, agreeing to hold talks for 60 days on core issues including denuclearization. Armed clashes resumed afterward, however, leaving the agreement effectively void, and the memorandum expired on the 17th. Washington at one point weighed a large-scale resumption of airstrikes but is said to have shifted toward a strategy of "economic isolation" aimed at cutting off Iran's sources of funding.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on X, formerly Twitter, that there were indications the United States was attempting to disrupt energy markets. Forces linked to Israel were also stoking a war atmosphere while promoting rosy forecasts, he said, adding that American consumers would ultimately bear the cost.
Separately, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the same day that it had dealt a decisive blow to a terrorist group linked to the United States and Israel in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan. The IRGC said the operation killed one member of the group and led to the arrest of six others.
