Qatar and Pakistan carry Trump’s message to Iran: He won't return to the MoU

On 24 August, Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, travelled to Tehran to deliver an important message as regional tensions intensified and the US reimposed its naval blockade of Iranian ports. That same day in Washington, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a “D-Day” economic pressure campaign against Iran, warning that countries continuing to trade with Tehran could face secondary sanctions. In Tehran, Munir met senior Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and General Mohsen Rezaei, the newly appointed secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. According to two sources close to the Iranian government, Munir had a single message from President Donald Trump: “I won’t return to the MoU.” The Iran-US Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), reached on 17 June, established a framework for ending months of war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. It was also intended to provide a basis for further negotiations between Tehran and Washington, while leaving several major issues unresolved. Read more: Qatar and Pakistan carry Trump’s message to Iran: He won't return to the MoU