ISLAMABAD: Tehran is pursuing the implementation of an interim peace agreement it signed with the United States (US) months earlier, Iran’s lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told Pakistan’s army chief on Monday, Iranian state media said, stressing on Washington to fulfill its obligations of the deal.
Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Monday to hold talks with the country’s leadership to promote regional peace.
Islamabad helped both sides sign an interim peace agreement, known as the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in June. The agreement called for cessation of hostilities on all fronts, Iran opening the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping and the end of a US naval blockade on Iranian ports, among other things.
The agreement collapsed in July when the US attacked Iran, accusing it of firing at commercial vessels in the strait. Iran rejected the allegations and launched strikes in neighboring Gulf countries and Jordan, claiming the targets were US military bases. Both sides have not traded attacks for weeks, but peace talks remain stalled as they continue to exchange threats.
Munir met Ghalibaf, who is the head of Iran’s, negotiation team and also the speaker of the Iranian parliament, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said in a report. Pictures released by IRNA showed Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Naqvi also attended the meeting.
“We are pursuing the implementation of the terms of the MoU, and it is America that must adhere to its commitments based on the Memorandum of Understanding,” IRNA quoted Ghalibaf as saying.
IRNA said Ghalibaf reviewed numerous instances of what it described as Washington’s “breach of promise” in implementing the Islamabad MoU. The Iranian speaker said commitments made by both parties in the agreement are “clear,” stressing that Washington is hindering regional stability by breaching its promise.
Munir and Naqvi earlier met Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni to discuss regional developments, IRNA reported.
ECONOMIC THREATS
The meetings between Munir, Naqvi and Iranian leadership takes place as Washington and Tehran continue to exchange threats. The US has threatened Iran with “the greatest financial offensive ever marshalled,” while Tehran has vowed to shut down all oil exports from the Gulf.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump warned of economic consequences for any country providing “any type of lifeline” to Tehran.
Pakistan has stepped up its mediation efforts as tensions between the US and Iran refuse to die down. Trump spoke with Munir last week ahead of his trip to Tehran, three Pakistani sources told Reuters. One of the sources said the main US request was to use Pakistan’s influence to bring Iran back to negotiations.
Islamabad has called for diplomacy to resolve the conflict and has said it is making “all-out efforts” through direct and indirect channels to bring Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table.