Iran wants return to US memorandum, president says

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday that Tehran wanted to return to a June memorandum of understanding with the United States, after China called for the agreement to be revived.

Pezeshkian wrote on X that “Iran shares this approach and underscores the importance of returning to that understanding.”

The June deal was intended to prepare the way for a full peace agreement, but it quickly unravelled. Diplomatic efforts to end the Middle East war, launched by the United States and Israel with surprise attacks on Iran in late February, have stalled for months.

There had been expectations that talks could resume during the UN General Assembly this week. But in a speech to the world body on Wednesday, Pezeshkian said Iran would not “bend at the knee” to the United States.

A day later, he told Fox News that Iran did “not wish to continue” the war but that it was up to Washington to end it.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on the sidelines of the General Assembly, but the talks did not immediately lead to a breakthrough.