As tensions between Tehran and Washington continue, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday said that the Islamic Republic is prepared to immediately reciprocate if the United States resumes compliance
with commitments made under an interim agreement between the two countries in June.
Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Pezeshkian made the remarks amid renewed military exchanges between Washington and Tehran following weeks of relative calm.
“I am stating clearly that if the U.S. returns to its commitments under the Memorandum of Understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately reciprocate,” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying by state media.
He was referring to a June agreement intended to provide a framework for ending the conflict that began after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 that led to the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei. The arrangement later collapsed amid disputes over its implementation.
Pezeshkian Hints Tehran Continues To Favour Negotiations
Pezeshkian reiterated that Tehran continues to favour negotiations but warned that diplomacy cannot succeed without reciprocal commitments.
“The repeated violation by the United States of its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding showed that… the absence of effective enforcement guarantees and a return to a policy of pressure and threats could derail the path of diplomacy,” said Pezeshkian in a later speech at the summit, AFP reported.
“Iran has continued to regard diplomacy and negotiations as the primary path to resolving disputes. But diplomacy without good faith, without respect for commitments and without refraining from the use of force cannot create lasting peace,” he added.
The comments came after the US struck Larak Island, prompting Iran to attack two US military bases in Jordan. US President Donald Trump told Fox News “there will be a response”, while later saying the strikes did not amount to a return to full-scale war.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a major sticking point. Tehran has linked its reopening to Washington lifting its naval blockade of Iranian ports, removing oil sanctions and unfreezing Iranian assets.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday: “The United States must return to its commitments and to what their president signed”.
“In that case, everything can be put back on the right track,” he added.
