Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran

Tehran, Aug 17: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday defended the recent peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States, saying Tehran reached the agreement with “dignity” and “power” while adhering to principles outlined by former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Pezeshkian made the remarks during a meeting with Education Minister Alireza Kazemi, according to a statement released by his office.

“We pursued the recent agreement with strength and did not surrender to our enemies,” Pezeshkian said, stressing that the MoU was drafted after extensive deliberations and consultations with experts.

The Iran-US MoU was signed on June 18 with the stated objective of ending the war in the region. Under the agreement, the two sides were scheduled to hold negotiations over a 60-day period ending on Monday to work towards a final settlement.

However, the future of the negotiations remains uncertain amid an escalation in tensions between Iran and the United States in recent weeks.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf also backed the agreement on Saturday, describing the peace MoU as evidence of Iran's “glory and victory” and saying it was part of the consolidation of the country's diplomatic gains, according to state news agency IRNA.

Meanwhile, US Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego has criticised the Trump administration's handling of the Iran conflict, saying the United States entered the war without a clear plan, exit strategy or defined mission.

Gallego, an Iraq War veteran who served in the US Marine Corps, said the conflict had exposed serious shortcomings in planning and leadership at the Pentagon.

“This administration did not plan for this war. They did not plan how to get out of this war, did not really understand how this war was going to escalate,” Gallego told ABC News on Sunday.

The comments come as uncertainty continues over the future of the Iran-US negotiations and the broader trajectory of the conflict.