Tehran, August 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that engaging in negotiations with the United States does not amount to surrender, while stressing that Tehran would continue to defend the country’s territorial integrity and national interests.
Addressing a conference in Tehran on Wednesday, Pezeshkian said Iran was pursuing negotiations from a position of strength while maintaining what he described as wisdom, dignity and expediency, according to a statement posted on his office’s website.
“In the process of negotiations, we are moving forward step by step at the height of our power and while maintaining wisdom, dignity and expediency,” he said.
Pezeshkian said Iran’s objectives included ending the war, lifting the anti-Iran naval blockade, securing the release of frozen Iranian assets and subsequently holding nuclear negotiations.
The comments came amid uncertainty over the future of Tehran-Washington talks. US President Donald Trump reportedly instructed senior administration envoys on Tuesday to halt their discussions with Iran, according to local media citing a US official. Trump later announced a “crushing economic operation” against Iran, hours after saying that the situation with Tehran was “so good”.
Iran and the US had signed a memorandum of understanding on June 18 aimed at ending the war on all fronts. However, the 60-day negotiating period under the agreement ended on Monday, while tensions between the two countries escalated last month.
Iran weighs tighter controls on Strait of Hormuz
Meanwhile, Iranian lawmakers are considering a draft plan to strengthen security measures in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of Iran’s parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told state-run IRIB TV that the committee had approved the general outlines of the proposed legislation.
Under the plan, vessels considered hostile or involved in espionage activities posing a threat to Iran’s national security would be barred from transiting the waterway. Israeli military and civilian vessels would also be prohibited from passage, with enforcement to be overseen by Iran’s General Staff of the Armed Forces.
The proposed measures also include passage fees payable in Iranian rials or other currencies and penalties for vessels violating the regulations.
Rezaei said the legislation could allow measures including cargo confiscation and increased tariffs against governments taking hostile positions towards Iran. He added that Tehran regarded control of the Strait of Hormuz as a national security priority following US and Israeli strikes against Iran.
Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported that the parliamentary committee approved the plan’s general outlines earlier this month.
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