Iran approaches diplomacy responsibly to reduce regional tension - minister

Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran

BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 17. Iran approaches diplomacy responsibly in order to reduce regional tensions, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said during a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, held on the sidelines of the 52nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Baghdad, Iraq, on October 17.

This was stated in a statement by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"However, the U.S. side has failed to fulfill its diplomatic commitments; most recently, it halted the implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which concerned the cessation of hostilities, just two weeks after it was signed," he noted.

Araghchi pointed out that the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz is a consequence of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes against Iran.

During the meeting, the Iranian minister provided an update on the status of diplomatic consultations being conducted through intermediaries.

The two sides also exchanged views regarding developments on the Arabian Peninsula. Stating that Iran is prepared to provide any assistance toward halting the confrontations between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, the Iranian minister noted that 12 years of tension demonstrate that there is no solution to the issue in Yemen.

The next escalation in U.S.-Iranian relations began on July 8. On that day, for the first time since the signing of the memorandum between Washington and Tehran, U.S. forces launched a series of strikes on Iranian territory, allegedly in response to an attack on a merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz. On the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the suspension of the ceasefire with Iran. In response, Tehran began striking U.S. targets located in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Oman. As a result of the conflict, maritime trade in the Strait of Hormuz came to a standstill.