Iran Offers Washington a Path Back to Peace
BISHKEK: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has offered Washington a possible route back to diplomacy, saying Tehran would respond immediately if the United States returned to a June agreement aimed at ending the war.
Pezeshkian made the remarks on Tuesday as he prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan. The meeting brings together countries seeking closer cooperation beyond the influence of Western powers.
“If the United States returns to the deal, Iran will immediately take reciprocal action,” the Iranian presidency quoted Pezeshkian as saying, according to Hurriyet Daily News.
The June agreement was intended to create the conditions for final peace talks. However, it later collapsed, with Iran and the United States accusing each other of breaking its terms.
Pezeshkian warned that any return to American “pressure and threats” could damage efforts to end the conflict through negotiations. His comments came as tensions rose again following the resumption of attacks between Iran and the United States on Aug. 31, after more than a month of relative calm.
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of the dispute. Iran has kept the strategically important waterway closed but says it is ready to honour its commitments under the June agreement, including reopening the strait, if Washington takes similar steps.
The conflict began in late February after US and Israeli attacks on Iran killed former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to the supplied report.
At the SCO summit, Pezeshkian was also due to meet Putin, while Russian President Vladimir Putin had already held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The summit was attended by leaders from countries including Türkiye, India and Pakistan.
Xi described Russian-Chinese relations as increasingly strong, while Putin said cooperation between the two countries was developing across all areas. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, its economy has grown increasingly dependent on China.
Against this tense international backdrop, Iran’s message offered a narrow but important opening for renewed talks.
