Tehran, Aug 2026 : Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reaffirmed Tehran’s commitment to dialogue to safeguard the country’s rights, while making it clear that Iran will not be forced into surrendering its interests.
In an interview published on the website of the Iranian presidency on Friday, Pezeshkian defended his government’s decision to engage in negotiations with the United States and sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending the conflict.
Pezeshkian said Iran would continue to honour its commitments under the understanding as long as the United States also fulfilled its obligations. He stressed that Tehran would not be bound by commitments if Washington failed to honour its side of the agreement.
“Iran remains committed to its obligations as long as the United States fulfils its commitments under the MoU,” Pezeshkian said, adding that if Washington failed to meet its commitments, Tehran would have no obligation to continue implementing its own.
The Iranian President’s comments come amid uncertainty surrounding the future of negotiations with Washington and reports of differences within Iran’s political leadership over the agreement.
Earlier this week, Pezeshkian rejected speculation that he was preparing to resign and said he would continue carrying out his responsibilities. His remarks came against the backdrop of reports about divisions within the Iranian leadership over the MoU and the government’s approach to negotiations with the United States.
Iran and the US signed the MoU in June, under which the two sides were expected to hold negotiations over a 60-day period with the objective of reaching a final agreement. However, renewed tensions between Tehran and Washington have cast uncertainty over the future of the negotiations and their ability to produce a lasting settlement.
Pezeshkian has repeatedly sought to defend diplomacy as a means of protecting Iran’s national interests while insisting that negotiations cannot require Tehran to surrender its fundamental rights.
Meanwhile, tensions were also reported in southern Iran on Thursday night after two explosions were heard on Qeshm Island in Hormozgan province.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the explosions occurred amid what it described as a confrontation by Iranian armed forces with “hostile enemy targets” near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.
According to sources cited by Tasnim, the explosions were heard at around 9:40 p.m. local time, or 1810 GMT. The report said details regarding the outcome of the confrontation involving Iranian naval forces would be announced later.
However, Ahmad Nafisi, deputy governor of Hormozgan province for political, security and social affairs, said there had been no reports of a strike or other incident on Qeshm Island or in the provincial capital Bandar Abbas.
Nafisi said relevant authorities were conducting investigations to determine the cause of the explosions and assess the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The developments come amid heightened regional tensions and uncertainty over the future of Iran-US engagement. While Tehran continues to emphasise dialogue and diplomatic channels, Iranian officials have also repeatedly stressed that negotiations must respect the country’s sovereignty and national interests.
Pezeshkian’s latest remarks reinforce that position, indicating that Iran remains open to negotiations but will not accept an arrangement that it believes compromises its rights or requires unilateral concessions.
(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
