Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a pointed warning to the United States on Tuesday, declaring that Tehran would respond to American pressure with "rationality and human dignity" — while making clear it was fully prepared to defend itself if provoked.
"Mutual understanding is a two-way street. If the American side adheres to the agreement, we will also fulfill our commitments," Pezeshkian wrote on X, in a post translated from Persian.
"Our approach to unreasonable saber-rattling and baseless threats is to rely on rationality and human dignity in decision-making, and to defend decisively and fearlessly when it comes time to act," he added.
تفاهم امری طرفینی است. اگر طرف آمریکایی به تفاهم نامه پایبند باشد ما هم به تعهداتمان عمل میکنیم.
— Masoud Pezeshkian (@drpezeshkian) June 29, 2026
رویکرد ما در مقابل رجزخوانیهای نامعقول و تهدیدهای بیپشتوانه، تکیه بر عقلانیت و کرامت انسانی در تصمیمگیریها و دفاع قاطع و بیپروا به هنگام عمل است.
The remarks came amid growing strains in the fragile peace process between Washington and Tehran, just under two weeks after both sides signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding on June 17-18.
The MOU, signed remotely by President Donald Trump and Pezeshkian, calls for an immediate end to military operations in Lebanon, the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz for at least 60 days, and a framework to resolve the question of Iran's stockpile of highly-enriched uranium.
The agreement launched a 60-day negotiating window, but the process has been tested almost immediately.
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A dispute erupted last week over whether Tehran had agreed to allow UN inspectors access to bombed Iranian nuclear sites, with the US and Iran offering conflicting accounts. The uneasy ceasefire has also been tested by Iran's temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz, linked to renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Pezeshkian's post on Tuesday appeared calibrated to address both domestic audiences and Washington, signalling Iran's conditional commitment to the MOU while warning that provocations would not go unanswered.
Ahead of his visit to Islamabad last week, the president had cautioned that "the effectiveness of the talks depends on full commitment to the agreed obligations and their precise implementation."
The 60-day negotiating period is expected to address unresolved core issues, including the final status of Iran's nuclear programme, uranium enrichment levels, and the possible release of up to $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets — issues that remain deeply contentious between the two sides.
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