Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday, 31 August declared that Iran does not seek war but will respond with strength and decisiveness to any act of aggression, according to a statement released by his office. The remarks came hours after US forces struck two launchers on Iran's southern Larak Island, sharply raising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Pezeshkian's Warning to Aggressors

'We do not seek war, and this is a clear message that we have so far conveyed to the world,' Pezeshkian said. 'However, we will never sit still in the face of aggression and will give a decisive response to aggressors.'

He further stressed that instability and unrest in the region serve no country's interests and urged regional nations to join hands in ensuring security and development across West Asia.

The US Strike on Larak Island

US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Tim Hawkins stated that US forces on Sunday struck two launchers on Iran's Larak Island after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most critical oil transit chokepoints, through which roughly 20% of global oil supply passes.

Following the strike, the IRGC confirmed in a statement that a number of military personnel and civilians were killed or wounded. It vowed that the attack would be met with 'punishment for the aggressor' — language that signals a potential escalation in the already fraught US-Iran standoff.

Iran-US Peace MoU and Its Contradictions

Notably, the strike occurred just a day after Pezeshkian, speaking at a ceremony in Tehran, described a peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Iran and the United States as being in the interests of the country, West Asia, and the world. He had stressed that the MoU's implementation would prevent the United States and Israel from 'causing chaos, aggression and insecurity in the region.'

The juxtaposition of a freshly signed peace MoU and a US military strike on Iranian soil within 24 hours underscores the fragility of diplomatic progress in the region.

Iran's Historical Stance on War

Pezeshkian reiterated that Iran has never been the party to initiate a war. 'We do not welcome war, but will stand strongly against any aggressor, and no power can force a nation that is standing with all its might and will into surrender,' he said.

His remarks echo a long-standing Iranian posture of defensive deterrence, even as the country faces mounting pressure from Western nations and regional rivals. This comes amid a broader pattern of US-Iran confrontations in and around the Strait of Hormuz, including tanker seizures and drone incidents over the past several years.

What Happens Next

With the IRGC vowing retaliation and the US justifying the strike as a pre-emptive defensive action, the risk of further escalation in the Persian Gulf remains elevated. Regional states and international observers will be closely watching whether the Iran-US peace MoU holds — or whether Sunday's military exchange effectively renders it moot.