Iran: President defends US deal as best option for peace

Key Points:

• Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended the expired US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as the best option to end hostilities, emphasizing it contains no capitulation and aligns with Iran's dignity, wisdom, and national interest.
• The MoU, signed in June under US President Donald Trump, set a 60-day timeline to resolve the US-Israeli-led conflict and Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but the deadline passed without progress, leaving tensions in the Strait of Hormuz unresolved.
• Pezeshkian stressed the need to move past the stalemate to attract foreign investment, highlighting the sensitivity of capital to risk amid ongoing conflict.
• Pakistan’s top military leader, Asim Munir, is scheduled to visit Tehran as part of Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace, following its role in facilitating the original MoU.
• Despite diplomatic efforts, Iran’s hardline SNSC leader Mohsen Rezaei warned neighboring countries against supporting the US, threatening retaliatory attacks on oil-shipping routes if they join the economic conflict against Iran.