TEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has signalled that Tehran is prepared to seek an end to the months-long conflict with the United States, arguing that Iran should pursue a settlement while it remains in what he described as a position of “strength and dignity.”
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Speaking at a meeting with doctors in Tehran on Friday, Pezeshkian said the time had come to end the war while Iran retained the upper hand. He also accused the United States of violating international rules and attacking Iranian schools, hospitals and infrastructure.
His comments come as diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain stalled, while tensions around the Strait of Hormuz continue to affect regional security and global energy markets.
At the same time, the Trump administration is preparing to intensify economic pressure on Iran, adding another layer of uncertainty to an already volatile confrontation.
Pezeshkian Defends Earlier Understanding With Washington
Pezeshkian also defended the memorandum of understanding reached between Iran and the United States in June, amid criticism from Iranian hardliners who have argued that the agreement involved excessive concessions.
The Iranian president rejected that criticism, saying opponents had failed to identify provisions that amounted to Iranian surrender. He argued that the commitments contained in the memorandum primarily imposed obligations on the other side.
The understanding has since failed to produce a wider settlement, leaving many of the fundamental disputes between Tehran and Washington unresolved.
The episode nevertheless remains significant because it demonstrates that a diplomatic framework has existed between the two sides, even as negotiations have subsequently stalled.
Iran's Military Maintains a Deterrence Posture
Pezeshkian's call for an end to the war has not been accompanied by any indication that Iran intends to abandon its military posture.
Iranian military officials continue to warn that the country remains prepared to respond to further attacks.
That creates a significant contrast within Tehran's public messaging: the political leadership is signalling an interest in ending the conflict, while the military establishment continues to emphasise deterrence and readiness.
The combination suggests that Iran is attempting to preserve its negotiating position while maintaining the ability to respond if hostilities resume or intensify.
Strait of Hormuz Remains a Critical Pressure Point
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of the crisis.
The strategic waterway is one of the world's most important energy routes, and continued disruption has implications well beyond Iran and the United States.
Recent diplomatic efforts involving Oman and Iran have focused partly on creating conditions for renewed dialogue and addressing the situation surrounding navigation through the strait.
Reports have also indicated that the U.S. Navy has been facilitating and protecting tanker movements through the southern part of the waterway.
Any prolonged disruption could put additional pressure on international oil markets and raise concerns about inflation, shipping costs and energy security.
The wider significance of Hormuz is therefore clear: the longer the confrontation continues, the greater the risk that a regional military crisis becomes a global economic problem.
Trump Rejects Iran's Current Position
U.S. President Donald Trump has remained sceptical about Tehran's willingness to accept what Washington considers an acceptable agreement.
Trump has indicated that the United States continues to assess its options while maintaining pressure on Iran.
Washington's position is increasingly centred on securing a deal that addresses its principal strategic concerns rather than simply returning to the earlier diplomatic framework.
That leaves the two sides facing a familiar problem: both are signalling an interest in ending the conflict, but neither appears ready to accept the other's terms.
Washington Shifts Greater Pressure to the Economy
The Trump administration is also intensifying its economic campaign against Tehran.
The U.S. Treasury has already targeted networks accused of helping Iran move money and evade sanctions. On August 7, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against multiple networks operating across several countries, accusing them of helping Iran's financial system move hundreds of millions of dollars. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would continue targeting networks that help the Iranian government maintain access to international finance.
Washington has also previously expanded sanctions targeting Iranian oil and shipping networks.
The strategy reflects an effort to increase economic pressure while limiting the need for a wider military escalation.
Tehran Calls Sanctions "Economic Terrorism"
Iran has condemned the planned U.S. measures, describing Washington's sanctions strategy as economic warfare and arguing that sanctions cannot resolve the underlying dispute.
Iranian officials have repeatedly maintained that external pressure will not force Tehran to surrender its strategic interests.
The confrontation has therefore moved onto two parallel tracks:
Diplomacy on one side—and economic coercion on the other.
The outcome of that pressure campaign could significantly influence Iran's willingness and ability to return to negotiations.
China Calls for a Diplomatic Solution
China has criticised the use of sanctions and pressure, arguing that political and diplomatic engagement remains the more effective route to resolving the crisis.
Beijing has called on the parties involved to act responsibly and pursue a negotiated solution.
China's position also reflects its wider economic interests. Prolonged instability in the Gulf and disruption around Hormuz could affect energy markets, shipping and global economic activity.
A Delicate Balance Inside Iran
Pezeshkian's latest remarks may therefore represent more than a simple call for peace.
By insisting that Iran should end the war from a position of strength, the president is attempting to frame negotiations not as a concession but as a strategic choice.
That distinction matters politically inside Iran.
A settlement perceived domestically as capitulation could face strong resistance from hardliners and elements of the security establishment. Conversely, a negotiated outcome presented as the result of Iranian resilience could provide Tehran's leadership with greater political room to compromise.
Can Diplomacy Restart?
The central question now is whether Washington and Tehran can bridge their remaining differences.
The immediate obstacles include:
The future of the Strait of Hormuz
The scope and enforcement of any new agreement
Iran's strategic and military capabilities
U.S. sanctions and economic restrictions
Guarantees against renewed military escalation
The competing demands of political factions inside Iran and the United States
The longer negotiations remain frozen, the greater the possibility that military and economic pressure will further narrow the space for compromise.
The Bigger Global Risk
The Iran-U.S. confrontation is no longer simply a bilateral dispute.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the crisis to the global economy.
Oil prices, shipping costs, inflation, regional security and international trade can all be affected by prolonged instability around the waterway.
That is why countries such as Oman and China have strong incentives to encourage the parties back toward diplomacy.
A Window for Negotiation—But No Breakthrough Yet
Pezeshkian's statement represents a potentially important signal, but it should not be mistaken for a breakthrough.
Iran is signalling that it wants an end to the conflict while maintaining that it is negotiating from a position of strength.
Washington, meanwhile, is continuing to increase economic pressure and demanding terms that Tehran may find difficult to accept.
The two positions remain far apart.
Yet the fact that Tehran is publicly discussing an end to the war suggests that diplomacy has not completely disappeared from the equation.
The immediate challenge for mediators will be to prevent further escalation and create enough political space for negotiations to resume.
The Bottom Line
Iran says it is ready to end the war—but on terms that preserve its claim of strength and dignity.
Washington is betting that intensified sanctions and economic pressure will push Tehran towards a more favourable agreement.
Between those two strategies lies a narrow diplomatic opening.
Whether that opening becomes a path to negotiations—or disappears beneath another round of escalation—could determine the next phase of the conflict.
Source Note:
Reporting inputs: Reuters, AFP and other international reporting; additional context from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Editorial presentation: AALIMI NATION.
