US-Iran War: ‘Not going to bow our heads,’ says Pezeshkian; Iran has not compromised on any MoU clause

A handout photo made available by the Iranian Presidential Office shows Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian attending a press conference in the capital Tehran, on August 8, 2026.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday (local time) said Tehran has not compromised on any clause of a (MoU) signed amid efforts to address the ongoing tensions with the US.

Pezeshkian asserted that Iran seeks a solution through dialogue and logic, Doha-based Al Jazeera reported.

“We signed the memorandum of understanding because we believe that we cannot achieve anything through war,” said in a speech to mark Doctors’ Day, Al Jazeera reported, citing Iran’s IRNA news agency.

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“We are not going to bow our heads and give in to the enemy. We can solve our problems with strength but with logic,” he added.

Pezeshkian said the MoU was considered the best possible path by all members of and rejected claims that Tehran had compromised on any part of the agreement.

“In the Security Council, all those who had a hand in the fire believed that this was the best memorandum of understanding, and on that basis, we all signed it,” he said. “There is not a single clause in the memorandum that we have compromised,” Pezeshkian added.

Country needed to make decisions

Thesaid the country needed to make decisions to move away from a situation of neither “war nor peace”, while calling for internal unity and cohesion.

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Pezeshkian also said that Iran’s late Supreme Leader had “accepted that we must take this path to escape this situation”, according to Al Jazeera.

Tensions between Tehran and Washington

Pezeshkian’s remarks came amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over US economic pressure measures against Iran and disputes over the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier, Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei said the would remain closed until the United States fulfilled its commitments and changed its behaviour.

“The Strait of Hormuz is closed, despite American claims, and will not open until America corrects its behaviour,” Rezaei said.

Rezaei also accused of creating “nuclear insecurity” instead of strengthening global nuclear security, claiming that Washington’s actions against Tehran had increased interest among countries in acquiring nuclear weapons.

“Instead of nuclear security, Trump has created nuclear insecurity,” Rezaei said in an interview with IRIB.

In another warning, Rezaei urged neighbouring countries not to join the US economic campaign against Tehran, saying Iran would consider such countries enemies if they participated.

‘Not a single drop of oil….’

“We are telling all surrounding countries not to participate in the economic war with America, otherwise we will consider it an enemy,” Rezaei said warning that Iran could target oil routes if regional countries supported Washington’s measures.

“If the countries surrounding Iran join the Americans in the economic war, not a single drop of oil will leave the , and we will also target other routes through which oil is exported from the Persian Gulf,” Rezaei said.

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The remarks followed US President Donald Trump’s announcement of what he described as an “” campaign against Iran, calling it the “most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country” and urging US allies to join Washington in isolating Tehran.

Trump said the measures would target Iran’s economic lifelines, including oil smuggling networks, financial transfers, exchange houses, ship registries and front companies.

We are not going to bow our heads and give in to the enemy. We can solve our problems with strength but with logic.

Iranian officials have rejected the US pressure campaign, arguing that previous sanctions failed to alter Tehran’s policies and would instead strengthen resistance.

(With agency inputs)

Key Takeaways
  • Iran continues to reject U.S. economic sanctions, believing they failed to achieve their intended goals.

  • The Iranian leadership emphasizes internal cohesion and dialogue as keys to resolving conflicts.

  • Military threats against regional countries against participating in U.S. economic measures showcase Iran’s hardened stance.

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