Iran's president says Tehran will reciprocate if US honors commitments

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared on Tuesday that Tehran would immediately reciprocate if Washington returned to its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, accusing the United States of violating the accord less than two weeks after it was signed. Addressing the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, the president framed the offer as conditional on American compliance. "I state clearly that if the United States returns to its commitments under the memorandum, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately reciprocate," he said, adding that Tehran had responded proportionately to US violations.

Islamabad Agreement

The Islamabad Memorandum was reached in June following 40 days of military conflict and nearly three months of negotiations mediated by Pakistan and Qatar. The agreement included provisions for ending hostilities, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and establishing further talks between Tehran and Washington. Pezeshkian claimed the United States had been forced to agree to the ceasefire after failing to achieve its military objectives during the war.

Regional Economic Proposals

Pezeshkian also proposed three measures to strengthen the organization: establishing an SCO bank, creating an export insurance and investment union, and forming an energy consortium. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization currently comprises 10 member states — Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan — and was founded in 2001. Iran attained full membership in 2023 after years of observer status, joining the bloc as tensions with Washington continued to reshape regional alignments.