Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, that Tehran would respond “immediately” with reciprocal steps if the United States returns to complying with the terms of a June agreement aimed at ending the war between the two countries.
“I state directly that if the United States returns to fulfilling its obligations under the aforementioned Memorandum of Understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately take corresponding measures”, Masoud Pezeshkian said at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan, according to the Iranian president’s website.
Negotiations and breach of the agreement
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was intended to halt months of hostilities between Tehran and Washington, which began in late February with attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran that killed the country’s former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The agreement later collapsed, with both sides accusing each other of violating its terms.
“The repeated violations by the United States of its obligations under the Memorandum of Understanding have shown that the absence of effective guarantees for implementation and a return to a policy of pressure and threats can derail the diplomatic process”, Masoud Pezeshkian said in a later speech at the summit.
He added that Iran continues to view diplomacy and negotiations as the main way to resolve disputes. At the same time, he said, “diplomacy without goodwill, without respect for obligations, and without refraining from the use of force cannot ensure lasting peace.”
Situation in the Strait of Hormuz
The president’s remarks came as the Strait of Hormuz remains a key point of contention between Iran and the United States, which resumed an exchange of fire on August 31 after more than a month of relative calm.
Tehran continues to keep the strategic waterway closed, insisting it will only reopen it if Washington meets demands to lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports, remove oil sanctions, and unfreeze Iranian assets abroad in accordance with the agreement.
On August 29, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that “the United States must return to fulfilling its obligations and to what their president signed” under the agreement. “In that case, everything can be put back on the right path,” he added.
Source: The Hindu
