Iran president offers US olive branch before Putin meeting / Photo: Vyacheslav PROKOFYEV - POOL/AFP
-
Municipal Elections: How Service Failure Becomes a Public Health Crisis in South Africa
-
Turkish Energy Minister Highlights Qatar as Key Partner for Regional and Global Energy Security
-
Rene Eyre Revisits Autobiographical Performance 'Say A Little Prayer' in London
-
London Museum Granted 24/7 License Ahead of November Opening
-
UAE's HCT Holds Record Graduation and Announces Major Training Expansion
-
Dana White Confirms Flight to Washington for Trump Meeting on Press Secretary Role
-
NASA Awards $10B Lunar Contract Framework to SpaceX, Blue Origin
-
Dengue Fever Expands Into High Himalayas as Climate Change Warms Nepal
-
Katy Perry Tells Fans Ex-Husband Russell Brand 'Should Be in Jail' During UK Concert
-
IoT Refrigerator Hacks Disrupt Blood Labs and Supermarkets Across Europe and US
-
South African election results renew debate over identity-based voting
-
Post-election pressures complicate US and Israeli decisions on Iran
-
South African voters report smoother local election but declining IEC trust
-
UN members approve talks on treaty protocol against environmental crime
-
Dolly Parton museum and Nashville hotel open after singer’s death
-
Family-run West Sussex beach café prepares for first winter season
-
George and Amal Clooney attend New York political-comedy reading
Iran president offers US olive branch before Putin meeting
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday vowed to match any US move to return to a June deal aimed at ending their war, as he prepares to meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at a regional summit.
The two allies were due to hold talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan, a bloc promoted by Russia and China as an alternative to Western power.
"I state explicitly that if the United States returns to its commitments under the aforementioned memorandum of understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately take reciprocal action," Pezeshkian said, according to the Iran presidency's website.
The memorandum aimed at ending hostilities between Tehran and Washington that began in late February with US and Israeli attacks on Iran that killed former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The deal, meant to set the stage for final peace talks, later collapsed, with both sides accusing each other of violating its terms.
Pezeshkian's remarks came as the Strait of Hormuz remained a key point of contention between Iran and the United States, which resumed exchanging fire on Monday after more than a month of relative calm.
Tehran has maintained its closure of the strategic waterway, while saying it would return to its commitments under the June deal, which included reopening Hormuz, if the United States did the same.
On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also urged the US to "return to its commitments and to what their president signed".
"In that case, everything can be put back on the right track," he said.
- China-Russia ties -
Putin met Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Monday at the SCO summit, which is also playing host to leaders of countries including Turkey, India and Pakistan.
The summit takes place four-and-a-half years into Moscow's Ukraine invasion and six months into the war between Washington and Tehran.
Xi said Russia-Chinese ties had become "more solid" and that their "prospects will be even brighter", while Putin said cooperation was "successfully developing on all fronts".
Russia's economy has become increasingly dependent on China since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Moscow has also massively deepened military and economic ties with Iran.
But US President Donald Trump has warned Moscow and Beijing against arming Iran.
The SCO has historically focused on economic issues but has gained momentum in recent years under Moscow's and Beijing's leadership.
On top of its 10 members, it now has 15 "dialogue partners", including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and two observer countries: Afghanistan and Mongolia.
bk-burs/jxb/ris
L.E.Campos--PC
