Iran’s president says peace MoU with US advanced with ‘dignity, power’

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has defended Tehran’s recent peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States, insisting that the agreement was reached with “dignity” and “power” rather than under pressure, even as uncertainty clouds the future of negotiations between the two countries.

Speaking on Sunday at a meeting with education minister Alireza Kazemi, Pezeshkian said Iran had approached the agreement from a position of strength while adhering to principles outlined by former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

“We pursued the recent agreement with strength and did not surrender to our enemies,” Pezeshkian said, according to a statement issued by his office.

The Iranian president said the MoU, signed on 18 June with the stated aim of bringing an end to the conflict in the region, was the product of painstaking deliberations and extensive consultations with experts.

His comments come as Tehran continues to portray the agreement as a diplomatic triumph rather than a concession to Washington.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf echoed that message on Saturday, describing the agreement as evidence of “Iran’s glory and victory” and saying it reinforced the country’s gains on the diplomatic front, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.

Deadline looms over final deal

Under the terms of the MoU, Iran and the United States were expected to conduct negotiations over a 60-day period ending Monday, with the aim of reaching a comprehensive final agreement.

But the diplomatic path forward remains shrouded in uncertainty following a sharp escalation between the two countries in recent weeks, raising fresh questions over whether the negotiations can proceed as originally envisaged.

While Iranian officials have publicly framed the MoU as a manifestation of national strength, the deteriorating security environment has cast a long shadow over the diplomatic process.

US senator accuses Trump administration of lacking war plan

Meanwhile, criticism of the US approach to the Iran conflict has intensified in Washington.

US Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego, an Iraq War veteran and former Marine, has accused President Donald Trump’s administration of entering the conflict without a clear military objective, exit strategy or coherent plan for what would follow.

Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, the Arizona senator said the war had exposed serious shortcomings in planning and leadership at the Pentagon.

“This administration did not plan for this war. They did not plan how to get out of this war,” Gallego said, arguing that officials had failed to adequately anticipate how the conflict could escalate.

His remarks came amid reports of mounting exhaustion, declining morale and mental-health concerns among personnel aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

The senator’s criticism adds another layer of pressure on the Trump administration as the conflict continues to test US military preparedness, diplomatic strategy and Washington’s ability to chart a viable path toward de-escalation.

With IANS inputs