Iran’s President Says Tehran Will Reciprocate if U.S. Honours Interim Deal Commitments

Iranian Presidency

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iran will immediately reciprocate if the United States returns to its commitments under an interim agreement signed in June, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday.

Pezeshkian made the remarks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, following the first exchange of direct attacks in the U.S.-Iran conflict since late July. The United States struck Larak Island, after which Iran launched attacks on two U.S. air bases in Jordan.

“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," Pezeshkian was quoted as saying by state media.

He was referring to an interim agreement signed by Tehran and Washington in June as part of efforts to end the war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February. However, the agreement quickly unravelled amid disagreements over its implementation.

Tehran has repeatedly said it will allow freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil supplies, only if Washington implements the terms of the agreement.

Pezeshkian said in Bishkek on Monday that war was in no one's interest and that Tehran was ⁠still open to a negotiated solution in its conflict with Washington.

U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox News "there will be a response" following the ⁠Iranian attacks but told reporters in the Oval Office that the renewed strikes did not signal a return to full-scale war.

'Well, they're taking them very seriously.



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