TEHRAN/CAIRO – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday the peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Iran and the United States is in the interests of the country, West Asia and the world.
During a ceremony in the Iranian capital Tehran, he stressed that with the MoU's implementation, the United States and Israel will not be able to cause chaos, aggression and insecurity in the region, and regional states will be able to pursue the path of stability and development, according to a statement published on the website of his office.
Pezeshkian highlighted the need for foiling the "enemies' sinister plots" through promoting unity and solidarity among Muslim states.
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He said that Iran has never been the party to start a war, adding, "We do not welcome war, but will stand strongly against any aggressor, and no power can force a nation that is standing with all its might and will into surrender."
Also on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi warned in a social media post that "major" efforts are underway to manipulate global energy markets for personal gains and prolong the US war against Iran.
Separately, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps announced on the same day that the country's security forces have dealt a "decisive" blow to a "terrorist" team affiliated with the United States and Israel in southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province, killing one of its members and arresting six others.
On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
On June 18, the United States and Iran signed the MoU on ending the war in the region on all fronts. Under the MoU, they were scheduled to hold negotiations within a period of 60 days, which ended on Aug 17, to reach a final agreement, but the talks' fate remains unclear following the escalation between the two countries last month.
Egypt, Kuwait urge de-escalation
Also on Saturday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy and negotiations between Iran and the United States during a phone call, according to Egypt's Foreign Ministry.
The two ministers discussed rapidly evolving regional developments and ways to contain the current escalation, the Egyptian ministry said in a statement.
They agreed that de-escalation and the resumption of negotiations between Iran and the United States should be a priority, highlighting the MoU signed by Iran and the United States on June 18 as a framework to restart talks and reach political solutions that could spare the region further tension and instability, it added.
The ministers also exchanged views on regional security concerns and called for addressing all sources of tension in ways that promote regional security and stability, the statement said.
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They also reaffirmed the principles of good-neighborliness, respect for states' sovereignty and territorial integrity, and non-interference in their internal affairs, calling for disputes to be resolved through peaceful and diplomatic means, it noted.
