TEHRAN, Oct. 17– Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Saturday that his country will not surrender its sovereign rights under pressure, but remains “ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and credible guarantees.”
Araghchi made the remarks at the 52nd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, according to a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
“Iran does not accept coercion, threats or intimidation,” he said.
Araghchi reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to safe and secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, noting the waterway was open before the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.
He said Iran has conveyed a “concrete” seven-day plan to the United States through Qatar, under which, if the necessary conditions are met, the strait could be reopened within seven days.
“The choice now rests with the United States,” the minister added.
Araghchi stressed that Iran will continue to defend its people, sovereignty and legitimate interests by any means, and that it has never attacked its neighbors, only the U.S. military bases and installations in those states. He stressed that each regional state’s territory, airspace and infrastructure should be used only to serve regional security and never as a platform for attacks on a neighbor.
“No state can build lasting security at the expense of the security of others,” Araghchi said. “We believe the problems of our region are best resolved within the region, by its own states, before they become a pretext for the wars of distant powers.”
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8. On June 18, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war in the region on all fronts.
Under the MoU, the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, ending on Aug. 17, to reach a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program and the removal of sanctions. However, they failed to make sufficient progress toward a deal as tensions continued to escalate. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
