Iran president calls to end war with U.S. from strength

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged that the war with the United States end while Tehran, in his view, is in a strong and dignified position. In a statement on Friday, Pezeshkian also defended the 14-point memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the U.S. in Islamabad on June 18 with mediation by Pakistan and Qatar. He called the outcome a major achievement approved by Iran's Supreme National Security Council and rejected the notion that Tehran had surrendered. Even so, he stressed that Iran would not submit if attacked again and that the armed forces were ready to defend the country. Tehran later accused Washington of violating the memorandum, while the U.S. tightened economic pressure. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent even vowed to bring down the Iranian regime through a sanctions campaign.