Shafaqna Pakistan: Iran said on Monday that it would not fulfil its obligations under the Pakistan-mediated Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States unless Washington complied with its own commitments.
Speaking at a press conference, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran’s position remained based on the principle of “commitment in exchange for commitment.”
“We have maintained from the outset that it is a matter of commitment in exchange for commitment. If the other party (the US) honours its obligations, we will also fulfil ours,” Baqaei said, according to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
He added that no one could accuse Iran of violating agreements, arguing that the obligations of both sides were clearly defined and verifiable. Baqaei also accused Washington of breaching various provisions of the memorandum under what he described as different pretexts.
“As long as the other party continues to violate its commitments, the Islamic Republic of Iran will, in turn, refrain from fulfilling the obligations it has undertaken,” he added.
Baghaei added that pursuing justice for the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is “a serious principle” for the Islamic Republic.
“The government has a clear duty. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is part of this process,” he said.
“We will use all legal and international tools and opportunities at the international level to document their [US-Israeli] crimes and to pursue the implementation of justice,” Baghaei added.
He said that Iran is trying to agree a joint mechanism with Oman for the Strait of Hormuz, but US pressure on Muscat has hindered efforts, he said.
Iran entered “every negotiation with meticulousness and seriousness, keeping in mind the interests and concerns of the Iranian nation”, the spokesperson said.
“Once an understanding has been reached, it has acted in good faith and with seriousness in fulfilling its commitments,” Baghaei told reporters in Tehran.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has never been the first to violate its commitments.”
Iran expands attacks on Gulf states after US strikes, says Strait of Hormuz closed
US and Iranian forces have exchanged heavy missile and drone assaults, with Tehran targeting US facilities in states across the Gulf on Sunday and saying it had again closed the vital Strait of Hormuz.
On Monday, Iran’s ISNA news agency stated that one was killed and seven were injured in a US attack near Nain county in Iran’s Isfahan province.
The renewed violence casts further doubt on the future of an interim US-Iranian agreement signed last month that aimed to reopen the strait and end the war after a further 60 days of negotiations.
The strikes were the latest in a cycle of attacks and counter-attacks as Iran seeks to assert control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the barrage marked an escalation in pace and range.
Iran’s strikes extended to US bases in Qatar, a mediator in ceasefire talks that had not come under attack since April. The United Arab Emirates, which had not been targeted since early May, said its air defences had engaged missiles and drones from Iran.
The US military began launching more strikes against Iran at 2am PKT on Monday, Central Command said in a statement on the social media platform X, “to continue degrading their ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”
US Central Command spokesperson Tim Hawkins told CNN that US aircraft shot down an Iranian cruise missile and a one-way attack drone.
Source: Express Tribune
