Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended the Memorandum of Understanding with the US as the best way for the country to move beyond what he described as a situation of “neither war nor peace.”In a speech published by state-run IRNA early on Sunday, he said members of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council believed the memorandum represented the best possible agreement based on what he described as dignity, wisdom and the national interest.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“There is not a single provision in this agreement that amounts to capitulation,” Pezeshkian said. “The supreme leader sets the policies, and we will follow that path.”The deal known as the Memorandum of Understanding that US President Donald Trump signed in June set an ambitious 60-day deadline for ending the war with Iran and reaching an accord on its nuclear program. That period ended last week, but the two sides remain far apart, with no signs of compromise on the crucial issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, vital to global shipping.Pezeshkian also linked the agreement to Iran’s economic prospects, saying the country could not attract investment in this stalled phase.“Capital and money are extremely sensitive to risk,” he said. “We have to remove this risk from the country.”Nearly six months into the war with the United States and Israel, the Iranian economy is suffering under sanctions and a naval blockade.Read more: