Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Oct 18: Iran will not surrender its sovereign rights under pressure but remains ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and credible guarantees, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said.
Addressing the 52nd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, on Saturday, Araghchi said Iran would not accept coercion, threats or intimidation, according to a statement issued by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Araghchi reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to ensuring safe and secure navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, noting that the strategic waterway was open before the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, Xinhua news agency reported.
He said Iran had conveyed a concrete seven-day plan to the United States through Qatar, under which the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened within seven days if the necessary conditions were met.
“The choice now rests with the United States,” the minister said.
Araghchi stressed that Iran would continue to defend its people, sovereignty and legitimate interests by all means. He maintained that Iran had never attacked its neighbours, but had targeted US military bases and installations located in those countries.
He further emphasised that the territory, airspace and infrastructure of regional countries should be used exclusively to promote regional security and must never become platforms for attacks against neighbouring states.
“No state can build lasting security at the expense of the security of others,” Araghchi said.
He added that Iran believed regional problems were best resolved by the countries of the region themselves, rather than allowing them to become pretexts for wars involving distant powers.
On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran retaliated with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US bases and assets across the region, while tightening its control over the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire between the warring parties was achieved on April 8. Subsequently, on June 18, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending the war across all fronts in the region.
Under the MoU, the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, with the deadline falling on August 17, to reach a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme and the lifting of sanctions.
However, the negotiations failed to make sufficient progress towards a deal as tensions between the two sides continued to escalate.