Iran's president calls for end to war from 'position of power' as US ups pressure

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for an end to the war with the United States, citing Iran's position of power and dignity. According to The Korea Times and New Straits Times, Pezeshkian made the comments in a meeting with doctors, stating that it was better to bring the war to an end now.

The war between Iran and the US, which was started in February by the US and Israel, has been locked in a stalemate. Tehran is keeping the key Strait of Hormuz partially shut, while Washington is persisting with a naval counter-blockade of Iran, as reported by multiple outlets including NDTV and The Korea Times.

Iran's foreign ministry has accused the US of "economic terrorism" and "crimes against humanity" after Washington announced plans to ramp up sanctions. The US Treasury Secretary has vowed to "collapse" the Iranian regime with the threatened campaign, as reported by Malay Mail. Pezeshkian defended a memorandum of understanding agreed with the US in June, claiming it did not signal a defeat for Tehran, according to New Straits Times.

Brief written by urgent.news from Euronews, The Korea Times, New Straits Times, NDTV, Malay Mail — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.