Overview
- In a televised interview published Friday, President Masoud Pezeshkian strongly defended the Islamabad memorandum of understanding and said the text contains no clauses in which Iran surrendered its interests.
- Pezeshkian said Iran will keep pursuing negotiations but will match its commitments to the level of U.S. compliance and will stop cooperating where Washington fails to meet its obligations.
- He warned that Iran will not accept forced submission and that preserving the country’s defensive and military capabilities is non-negotiable.
- The president rejected reports of a rift with the armed forces and denied plans to resign, saying decisions are coordinated with national leadership and the new supreme leader.
- Pezeshkian identified the Strait of Hormuz as a central sticking point and pointed to parallel diplomacy with Pakistan and Oman, saying regional tensions, sanctions and domestic strains make the outcome uncertain.