President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian takes questions from the media during a news conference in New York on Sept. 26, 2025. (AP Photo\/Angelina Katsanis, File)<\/small><\/p>\n
2026-08-23T08:06:29Z<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s president defended a memorandum of understanding<\/a><\/span> with the United States as the best way out of a stalled war<\/a><\/span>. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, the new head of the Islamic Republic\u2019s top security body warned, in a more forceful tone, of retaliation if neighboring countries support U.S. threats<\/a><\/span> to further sanction Tehran.<\/p>\n A Palestinian man said he was beaten by an Israeli settler outside his home, and Israel\u2019s military said they were pursuing a stabbing suspect in a separate attack, the latest violence in the occupied West Bank<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East on Sunday. Full coverage can be found here<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended a recent memorandum of understanding as the best way for the country to move beyond what he described as a situation of \u201cneither war nor peace.\u201d<\/p>\n In a speech published by state-run IRNA early on Sunday, he said members of Iran\u2019s Supreme National Security Council believed the memorandum represented the best possible agreement based on what he described as dignity, wisdom and the national interest.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is not a single provision in this agreement that amounts to capitulation,\u201d Pezeshkian said. \u201cThe supreme leader sets the policies, and we will follow that path.\u201d<\/p>\n The deal known as the Memorandum of Understanding that U.S. President Donald Trump signed in June set an ambitious 60-day deadline for ending the war with Iran<\/a><\/span> and reaching an accord on its nuclear program<\/a><\/span>. That period ended last week, but the two sides remain far apart, with no signs of compromise on the crucial issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, vital to global shipping.<\/p>\n While stressing that Tehran did not intend to back down in the face of its adversaries, Pezeshkian also linked the agreement to Iran\u2019s economic prospects<\/a><\/span>, saying the country could not attract investment in this stalled phase.<\/p>\nIran\u2019s president says his country needs to get past current stall<\/h2>\n