Tehran, Aug 8 (IANS) Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to pursuing dialogue to safeguard its rights, while emphasising that Tehran will not be forced to surrender.
Pezeshkian made the remarks in an interview, published on the website of his office on Friday (local time), defending the Iranian government’s decision to enter negotiations with the United States and sign the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war.
Pezeshkian said Iran remains committed to its obligations as long as the United States fulfils its commitments under the MoU, adding, “Wherever they fail to fulfil their commitment, we have no obligation to continue.”
Earlier this week, Pezeshkian denied that he was stepping down and said he would “continue his work resolutely.” The remarks came amid rumoured “divisions” within Iran’s leadership over the MoU.
In June, Iran and the United States signed the MoU, under which the two sides were scheduled to hold negotiations within a 60-day period to reach a final agreement. However, renewed tensions between the two have left the talks’ fate uncertain.
Meanwhile, on Thursday night, two explosions were heard on Iran’s southern Qeshm Island in Hormozgan province as a result of the Iranian armed forces’ confrontation with “hostile enemy targets” at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Tasnim cited informed sources as saying that the explosions were heard at around 21:40 local time (1810 GMT), adding that the “achievements” of the Iranian naval forces’ confrontation will be announced in the coming hours.
It also quoted Ahmad Nafisi, Hormozgan’s deputy governor for political, security and social affairs, as saying that no strike or incident had been reported on Qeshm Island and the provincial capital Bandar Abbas.
He added that the relevant authorities are carrying out the necessary investigations to identify the cause of the explosions.
–IANS
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