Iran’s president calls for end to war with US and Israel, claiming Tehran is winning

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian used a medical conference in Tehran on August 21 to deliver a message that had nothing to do with medicine: stop the war. Addressing the ongoing military conflict with the United States and Israel, Pezeshkian called for an immediate end to hostilities, while simultaneously insisting that Iran is winning.

The war, which began with US and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian infrastructure in late February 2026, has now dragged on for nearly six months with no clear resolution in sight.

A stalemate with no off-ramp

Pezeshkian framed the US and Israel as the aggressors, accusing both nations of violating international law through their strikes on Iranian targets.

A June memorandum of understanding was supposed to chart a path toward ceasing hostilities. It didn’t work. Negotiations between Tehran and Washington have stalled.

Pezeshkian has been careful to note that the June agreement contains no clauses requiring Iran to concede territory or strategic positions. In his telling, the obligations fall squarely on the United States.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has signaled plans to ratchet up economic pressure through additional sanctions, a move Tehran has labeled “economic terrorism.”

The Strait of Hormuz factor

Control over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply passes, remains a flashpoint. Pezeshkian’s call for peace briefly moved oil prices, a reminder of just how sensitive commodity markets are to developments in this region.

Domestic politics and the hardliner problem

Pezeshkian’s peace overture isn’t just aimed at Washington. It’s also a message to factions within Iran’s own power structure.

Since taking office, Pezeshkian has occupied an uneasy middle ground between reformist instincts and the reality of governing a country where the supreme leader and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps wield enormous influence. Calling for an end to the war while claiming Iran has the upper hand is a way to thread that needle. Pezeshkian’s insistence that the June agreement places no obligations on Iran is partly aimed at neutralizing hardliner criticism before it gains traction.

If the US follows through on Bessent’s sanctions threats, the pressure on Pezeshkian to either escalate or accept increasingly unfavorable terms will intensify. Any agreement would presumably need to address reconstruction, security guarantees, and the future of Iran’s nuclear program.

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