Iran's president says peace MoU with US advanced with "dignity, power"

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Iran's president says peace MoU with US advanced with "dignity, power"

2026-08-17 09:49 Last Updated At：12:37

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday Iran reached the peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States with "dignity" and "power," while taking into consideration the principles outlined by former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

He made the remarks at a meeting attended by Education Minister Alireza Kazemi, where the president defended the MoU signed between Iran and the United States on June 18 to end the war in the region, according to a statement released by his office.

"We pursued the recent agreement with strength and did not surrender to our enemies," Pezeshkian said, adding that the MoU was drafted after careful deliberation and in-depth discussions with experts.

In remarks on Saturday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf described the peace MoU as proof of "Iran's glory and victory" and being in line with the consolidation of the country's victory in the field of diplomacy, according to the official news agency IRNA.

Under the MoU, Iran and the United States were scheduled to hold negotiations within a 60-day period ending on Monday to reach a final agreement. However, the fate of the talks remains uncertain following the escalation between the two countries in recent weeks.

On July 7 and 8, the U.S. military launched two consecutive military strikes against Iran, citing Iranian attacks on merchant ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, in response, launched missile and drone attacks on U.S. facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Jordan.

At a NATO summit in Türkiye on July 8, U.S. President Donald Trump declared the MoU was "over." On the same day, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that repeated U.S. military strikes on Iran constituted a serious violation of the Iran-U.S. memorandum of understanding. Iran's parliament on Sunday passed an anti-infiltration bill, aiming to counter espionage activities by hostile intelligence agencies and foreign governments or institutions, according to Iran's Tasnim News Agency.

Hamas urges pressure on Israel to approve roadmap for 2nd phase of Gaza ceasefire agreement

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Sunday called on mediators and guarantors to press Israel to approve the roadmap for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The call was made as U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and special envoy Jared Kushner, and a Hamas delegation, led by Khalil al-Hayya, head of the movement's political bureau, arrived in Cairo to advance the U.S.-proposed Gaza peace plan.

In a statement, the Hamas delegation urged the mediators and the U.S.-led "Board of Peace" to press Israel to implement all its commitments under the first phase of the agreement, halt killings and ground incursions, and approve the roadmap for the second phase of the agreement.

Hamas also said it had accepted the roadmap, citing its aim to secure a permanent ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, sustained humanitarian aid, and the start of work by the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that Israel rejected the U.S.-backed roadmap and would not withdraw its forces from Gaza until Hamas was fully disarmed.

The "Board of Peace" published a 15-point roadmap on July 31 for implementing the next phase of the Gaza agreement. It includes an end to military operations, the transfer of civilian administration to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, the decommissioning of heavy weapons, weapons stockpiles, military production facilities and tunnels, alongside arrangements for an Israeli withdrawal.