WASHINGTON-TEHRAN, August 22. /Dunyo IA/. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for an end to the nearly six-month war with the United States, saying Tehran is in a “position of strength and dignity,” reports Dunyo IA correspondent, citing “Al Jazeera.”

“It is better to end the war today, when we are strong and dignity,” the president said, rejecting accusations that Iran made concessions to the United States under a June memorandum. “They cannot find even a single clause in this agreement that indicates capitulation.”

At the same time, Iran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Major General Ali Abdollahi, said the country would respond to any new threats with a “crushing, regret-inducing and devastating” response.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to announce new sanctions against Iran and its trading partners next week. Washington has pledged “the toughest sanctions in history” and vowed to “collapse this regime.”

Meanwhile, Iran and Oman are discussing the resumption of negotiations and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. On August 20, only four cargo vessels passed through the strait, none of them large oil or gas tankers.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that, with assistance from the U.S. military, around 8 million barrels of oil per day are currently moving through the strait, compared with more than 20 million barrels before the war.

President Donald Trump said the United States “fully controls” the area around the strait and threatened economic consequences for countries supporting Iran. He also declared the strait U.S. territory in social media posts.

U.S. strikes have inflicted serious damage on Iran’s economy and armed forces, but Tehran retains missile and drone capabilities. Earlier, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said: “No matter how much military power we have, we won’t survive if people are hungry and we don't have financial turnover, economic growth and national production”.

Photo credit: Reuters