TEHRAN, May 23 — Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir have exchanged views on the latest diplomatic efforts and initiatives to prevent an escalation of tension and end the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, the official news agency IRNA reported on Saturday.
In a meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran on Friday, the two sides discussed ways to strengthen peace, stability and security in the West Asia region, the report said.
Munir’s visit is reportedly part of Pakistan’s mediation efforts between Iran and the United States.
Meanwhile, Araghchi and United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres exchanged views on the latest developments pertaining to peace talks between Iran and the United States in a phone call on Friday.
Araghchi briefed Guterres on the latest progress of the ongoing diplomatic process to end the war, stressing that the main factors disrupting the Pakistani-mediated peace talks are the United States’ track record of breaking its promises, especially its frequent “betrayals” of diplomacy and military “aggressions” against Iran, as well as “contradictory positions and excessive demands.”
Despite its deep distrust of the United States, he added, Iran has entered the diplomatic process with complete seriousness, adopting a responsible approach and making efforts to achieve a “reasonable and fair” result.
For his part, Guterres rejected the use of force against countries’ national sovereignty and territorial integrity, highlighting the necessity of remaining committed to the principles of the UN Charter and of using diplomacy to establish peace and stability in the region.
The United States and Iran reached a ceasefire on April 8 after 40 days of fighting that started with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
Following the truce, Iranian and U.S. delegations held one round of peace talks in Pakistan’s Islamabad on April 11 and 12, which failed to yield an agreement.
Over the past weeks, the two sides have reportedly exchanged several proposed plans outlining conditions for ending the conflict through Pakistani mediation.
In an interview with state-run IRIB TV on Friday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said peace negotiations between Iran and the United States are not close to an agreement.
Baghaei said that the differences between Iran and the United States are “deep and numerous” and emphasized that diplomacy takes time. He added that the talks aim to end hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and that Iran’s nuclear program is not on the agenda at this stage. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
