Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Tehran will immediately reciprocate if the United States returns to its commitments under an interim agreement signed between both countries in June.
Pezeshkian made the statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Bishkek, amid renewed tensions between Iran and the United States following a fresh exchange of attacks.
The Iranian leader said Tehran remained open to a negotiated solution, stressing that war was not in the interest of any party.
“I am stating clearly that if the U.S. returns to its commitments under the Memorandum of Understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately reciprocate,” he was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.
The statement came after the United States struck Larak Island, following which Iran launched attacks on two US air bases in Jordan.
Pezeshkian was referring to an interim agreement reached in June between Tehran and Washington as part of efforts to end the conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
The agreement, however, quickly unravelled amid disagreements between the two sides over its implementation.
Iran has repeatedly linked the free navigation of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil supplies, to Washington’s compliance with the terms of the agreement.
Pezeshkian said on Monday in Bishkek that Tehran was still willing to pursue negotiations despite the renewed hostilities.
US President Donald Trump, reacting to the Iranian attacks, told Fox News that “there will be a response.”
Trump, however, later told reporters in the Oval Office that the renewed strikes did not necessarily signal a return to full-scale war.
