On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Pakistan’s mediation had not failed and urged India to clarify its relationship with Tehran amid rising regional tensions.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi at the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting, Araghchi said Iran is trying to preserve the ceasefire to allow diplomacy to work. He said some powers were trying to undermine diplomatic efforts, but Pakistan’s reconciliation mission was ongoing.
‘Pakistan’s mission has not failed yet,’ he said. Araghchi criticised mixed messages from the United States for complicating talks and making it hard for Tehran to gauge Washington’s real intentions. He repeated that Iran has ‘no trust’ in the United States but is open to talks if the other side shows seriousness and fairness.
He also said the Strait of Hormuz will remain open to all nations except those Iran deems hostile, and that ships transiting the waterway should coordinate with the Iranian Navy. He announced that Iran and Oman will jointly oversee security in the Strait under a coordinated system.
On regional diplomacy, Araghchi said India has ties with many countries and should decide what kind of relationship it wants with Iran.
He also claimed the United States failed to achieve its goals in the recent conflict and accused Washington of undermining diplomacy by carrying out attacks during negotiation periods. He maintained Iran’s nuclear programme is peaceful and insisted that dialogue is the only practical way to resolve the dispute.
Earlier at the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting, Araghchi criticised the UN Security Council as a symbol of global inequality that requires urgent reform.
At the end of the annual BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi, India issued a chair’s statement rather than a joint statement, noting differing views among some members on the Middle East, Reuters reports.
BRICS includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.
Iran and the UAE are on opposing sides in Tehran’s conflict with the US and Israel.