Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Tehran would “immediately” reciprocate if the United States returns to its commitments under a June agreement aimed at ending hostilities between the two countries.
Pezeshkian made the remarks on Tuesday while speaking at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, according to the Iranian presidency’s website.
“I state explicitly that if the United States returns to its commitments under the aforementioned memorandum of understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately take reciprocal action,” he said.
The memorandum of understanding was intended to end months of hostilities between Tehran and Washington that began in late February with US and Israeli attacks on Iran that killed former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The agreement later collapsed, with both sides accusing each other of violating its terms.
Pezeshkian’s comments came as the Strait of Hormuz remained a major point of contention between Iran and the United States, with the two sides resuming exchanges of fire on Monday after more than a month of relative calm.
Tehran has maintained its closure of the strategic waterway while saying it would return to its commitments under the agreement, which included reopening the Strait of Hormuz if the United States did the same.
On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the United States must return to its commitments under the agreement.
“The United States must return to its commitments and to what their president signed,” Araghchi said, adding, “In that case, everything can be put back on the right track.”
Source: AFP
