Ahead of Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir's expected visit to Tehran on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian affirmed that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States represents his country's best option to break the ongoing war's stalemate.
اضافة اعلان
Pezeshkian defended the recent memorandum, emphasizing that it serves as the optimal framework for Iran to exit the state of "neither war nor peace" currently characterizing the conflict. In a speech published by the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on Sunday, the Iranian president stated that "members of Iran's Supreme National Security Council view the memorandum as the best possible agreement, formulated in accordance with the principles of dignity, wisdom, and national interest."
"No Concessions"
Pezeshkian clarified that "there is no clause in this memorandum indicating concessions made by the Iranian side," adding: "The Supreme Leader sets the policies, and we will follow this path."
Furthermore, Pezeshkian stressed that Tehran does not intend to back down before its adversaries, but linked reaching an agreement directly to the country's economic standing, noting that Iran cannot attract investment under the current deadlock. He stated, "Capital and funds are extremely sensitive to risk... and we must remove these risks from the nation."
He acknowledged that "Iranian society is currently experiencing several hardships," reassuring that the government is "exerting every effort to prevent the situation from deteriorating further."
The memorandum of understanding, signed in June by Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump, established an ambitious 60-day deadline to end the war with Iran and reach a comprehensive agreement regarding its nuclear program.
However, that deadline expired last week while the two sides remain far apart on key issues—chief among them the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital bottleneck for global shipping and trade.
After nearly six months of war with the United States and Israel, the Iranian economy is suffering under sanctions and a naval blockade that has made oil exports—the country's primary source of revenue—exceptionally difficult.
Meanwhile, the exchange rate for the US dollar in Iran's unofficial market recorded a new high today, August 23, 2026, approaching the threshold of 200,000 tomans after reaching approximately 198,200 tomans during trading, setting a new record low for the national currency.
This comes as the United States threatened last Thursday to tighten economic sanctions on Iran to "push the regime toward collapse."
In recent years, the Iranian government has faced multiple waves of public demonstrations, largely triggered by deteriorating economic conditions, inflation, and declining purchasing power. In late December, a protest movement initially sparked by rising living costs evolved into widespread demonstrations against the Iranian leadership. Authorities recorded over 3,000 deaths during those protests, attributing the violence to "terrorist acts" allegedly backed by the United States and Israel. Consequently, current authorities in Iran fear a recurrence of those events, as the nation faces renewed economic unrest exacerbated by the US blockade on Iranian ports.
