Iran President: We Are in a Strong and Dignified Position to End War with US
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that now is the right time to end the months-long war with the United States, arguing that Tehran is in a far stronger and more dignified position than Washington. Negotiations between the two long-standing adversaries remain deadlocked. The war, which erupted following US and Israeli aggression in February, has left both countries locked in military stalemate. Iran continues to maintain a partial closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz, while Washington has responded with a naval blockade against Tehran.
“It is better for us to end the war now because we are in a position of strength and dignity,” Pezeshkian said during a meeting with doctors in Tehran. “The whole world recognises our victory and emphasises that America has attacked our schools, hospitals and infrastructure in violation of all rules, and is now hated around the world.”
Pezeshkian also defended the memorandum of understanding agreed with the US in June to end the war, insisting that the agreement is by no means a form of defeat for Tehran. “They cannot even find a single clause in this agreement that indicates capitulation. All the commitments are actually directed at the other side,” he asserted.
The statement came several weeks after Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he had approved the peace deal despite initially holding “different views”. Nevertheless, hardline factions in the Iranian parliament continue to level sharp criticism at the government, accusing it of granting too many concessions to the US, particularly regarding the reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. According to US media reports, the American Navy had previously organised and protected secret convoys of oil tankers through the southern sector of the Strait of Hormuz, enabling oil exports of 5 to 10 million barrels per day.
Amid Iran’s claims of having the upper hand, the United States is preparing to tighten sanctions to pressure Tehran. The new US economic plan has drawn strong condemnation from Iran’s Foreign Ministry, which described Washington’s move as “economic terrorism” and a “crime against humanity”. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent vowed on Thursday that Washington would “bring down” the Iranian regime through a new sanctions campaign, nearly six years after the war began. The comments underscore a shift in the Trump administration’s strategy from military to economic pressure, as the war becomes increasingly unpopular with the American public.
America’s aggressive economic measures have also drawn criticism from China, which stated that Washington-style “sanctions and pressure” will never resolve the protracted conflict in the Middle East.