Iran's president says peace MoU with U.S. advanced with "dignity, power"

TEHRAN, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday Iran reached the recent peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States with "dignity" and "power," while taking into consideration the principles outlined by former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

He made the remarks at a meeting attended by Education Minister Alireza Kazemi, where the president defended the MoU signed between Iran and the United States on June 18 to end the war in the region, according to a statement released by his office.

"We pursued the recent agreement with strength and did not surrender to our enemies," Pezeshkian said, adding that the MoU was drafted after careful deliberation and in-depth discussions with experts.

In remarks on Saturday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf described the peace MoU as proof of "Iran's glory and victory" and being in line with the consolidation of the country's victory in the field of diplomacy, according to the official news agency IRNA.

Under the MoU, Iran and the United States were scheduled to hold negotiations within a 60-day period ending on Monday to reach a final agreement. However, the fate of the talks remains uncertain following the escalation between the two countries in recent weeks. ■