Pezeshkian backs US memorandum as Iran warns neighbours over sanctions

President Masoud Pezeshkian defended Iran's memorandum with the United States as the best route out of prolonged conflict. The move exposed a split tone in Tehran as a new security chief threatened neighbours over any expanded US economic campaign.Stock photo used for illustrationIranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has defended a memorandum of understanding with the United States, calling it the best way to move beyond what he described as a state of "neither war nor peace" after months of conflict. At the same time, Iran's new top security chief has warned neighbouring countries against supporting fresh US efforts to tighten economic pressure on Tehran.Elsewhere in the region, a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank said he was beaten by an Israeli settler outside his home, while the Israeli military said it was searching for a suspect in a separate stabbing attack near Jericho. The developments came amid continuing tensions linked to the Iran war and wider unrest in the Middle East.In a speech published by state-run IRNA early on Sunday, Pezeshkian said members of Iran's Supreme National Security Council believed the memorandum was the best possible agreement based on dignity, wisdom and the national interest. "There is not a single provision in this agreement that amounts to capitulation," he said. "The supreme leader sets the policies, and we will follow that path."The memorandum of understanding signed by US President Donald Trump in June set a 60-day deadline for ending the war with Iran and reaching an accord on its nuclear programme. That period ended last week, but the two sides remain far apart, with no sign of compromise on the issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital to global shipping. Pezeshkian also linked the agreement to Iran's economy, saying the country could not attract investment in the current phase. "Capital and money are extremely sensitive to risk," he said. "We have to remove this risk from the country." Nearly six months into the war with the United States and Israel, Iran's economy is under strain from sanctions and a naval blockade that has made oil exports extremely difficult. Meanwhile, Mohsen Rezaei, the new head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, warned Tehran's neighbours against joining what he described as a new US push to damage Iran's economy. In an interview with state broadcaster IRIB that aired on Saturday, he said, "If (Trump) wants to do something, we will retaliate in a seismic manner." Rezaei, who was appointed this month in senior changes seen as hardening Tehran's political and military position, said Iran would target oil shipping routes out of the Persian Gulf - alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz - if neighbouring countries joined what he called the economic war against Iran.He said such countries would be treated as enemies and added, "we will target their interests". Trump has said over the past week that he would increase pressure on Iran by imposing an "unprecedented" level of economic warfare and isolation. Iran has been under sanctions for years. In the occupied West Bank, Saeed Muhammad Ibrahim Rabah, 61, said an Israeli settler struck him with a pipe outside his home in Khirbet al-Rakeez in the southern West Bank on Saturday afternoon. Rabah told The Associated Press that two settlers arrived with a tractor, and one started moving stones placed by the family at the property's entrance and tried to enter. When he approached them to ask what they were doing, one of the settlers hit him on the back with a pipe, he said. The men then left, and Rabah was taken for treatment before returning home with bruising and pain. He said the attacks were attempts "to provoke us so that we leave our land, leave our home and move away".Rabah said that in April 2025, he confronted settlers on his land while his son filmed the incident. According to him, one settler began choking his son, while another grabbed him, fired two shots in the air and then shot him in the legs. After a delay, he was taken to hospital, where one of his legs was amputated. Separately, Israel's military said on Sunday that it was pursuing the suspect in a stabbing attack in the area of al-Auja, near Jericho in the eastern West Bank, in which a 24-year-old was injured. Israel's emergency services said the victim was taken to hospital in moderate condition. Palestinian officials say at least 87 Palestinians have been killed in nearly 1,500 attacks by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank this year, while three Israelis have been killed by Palestinians in 2026. The latest developments underlined the continuing strain across the region, from the stalled conflict involving Iran to the violence in the West Bank.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 23, 2026 13:50 IST