Iranian Leaders Call for an End to the War: “Better to Declare Victory and End It”

President Donald Trump shared a report today (Monday) on his Truth Social account from The Wall Street Journal, saying that voices at the top of Iran’s political leadership are calling to bring the war to an end and shift attention toward rebuilding an economy that has been severely damaged. Trump posted a link to the article without adding his own comment.

At the center of the report are Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who have publicly voiced messages that differ from the hard-line position presented by other figures in the regime. Both emphasized the need to end the fighting and the heavy economic price the country is paying.

According to Iranian media outlets, Pezeshkian said on Friday that “the war must end at some point.” The Iranian president even suggested framing the end of the war as an achievement: “It is better that today we demonstrate our strength and our dignity and tell the world that we won and that we are ending the war.”

Ghalibaf spoke more cautiously, but warned that military strength alone would not guarantee Iran’s stability as long as its economic situation continues to deteriorate: “No matter how much military power we have, if our people are struggling and the country suffers from a lack of cash flow and economic growth, we will not make progress.” According to him, “as people who have experienced war, we understand the true value of peace.”

The calls come amid a stalemate on the diplomatic track between Washington and Tehran. At the same time, the Trump administration continues to increase economic pressure on Iran through sanctions and a naval blockade of the country’s ports. According to The Wall Street Journal, the combination of the war and the economic measures has worsened a crisis that was already weighing heavily on Iran’s economy, further weakened the currency and made it harder for ordinary citizens to manage daily expenses.

Despite the statements by Pezeshkian and Ghalibaf, the Journal reported that it is still unclear whether conditions have emerged that would allow the sides to return to the negotiating table. The memorandum of understanding signed in June in an attempt to end the war collapsed amid Iran’s efforts to regulate traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Additional talks held in early August also reached a dead end after the United States refused an agreement that would not ensure free and uninterrupted passage through the strait.