Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday that his country wanted to return to the memorandum of understanding agreed with the United States in June, days after stating that Iran would not bend to Washington.
Pezeshkian welcomed China's position on the matter, posting on X that "Iran shares this approach and underscores the importance of returning to that understanding." China had expressed a desire to see the agreement revived.
The June memorandum was intended to serve as a foundation for a comprehensive peace agreement. However, the accord quickly unraveled after its signing.
Diplomatic efforts to end the Middle East war, which began with surprise attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran in late February, have stalled for months. There had been optimism that negotiations might resume during the UN General Assembly this week.
On Wednesday, Pezeshkian delivered a defiant speech to the world body in which he said Iran would not "bend at the knee" to the United States. A day later, he told Fox News that Iran did "not wish to continue" the war but stated it was up to Washington to end it.
The shift in tone came as the Iranian president addressed the international community at the UN General Assembly, where discussions about reviving diplomatic channels had been anticipated.