Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the responsibility for reopening the Strait of Hormuz rests solely with the Islamic Republic of Iran, urging all parties to refrain from interfering in Tehran’s management of the strategic waterway under the terms of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Baghdad, Araghchi said, “Based on the memorandum of understanding, the Strait of Hormuz, under the management that Iran will adopt, will return to its pre-war capacity within 30 days, after the obstacles are removed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Referring to incidents in the Strait of Hormuz over the past two nights that heightened confrontations with the US military, Araghchi said the other sides must not interfere in Iran’s arrangements for reopening the waterway.
“I ask all parties not to interfere in the issue of managing the Strait of Hormuz and the arrangements adopted by the Islamic Republic of Iran for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, to adhere to the signed memorandum of understanding, and not to allow this memorandum of understanding to deviate from its course,” he said.
Thanking his Iraqi counterpart for Baghdad’s hospitality, Araghchi said the two ministers held comprehensive talks covering bilateral and regional issues.
He described relations between Iran and Iraq as strategic and highly valuable, stressing Tehran’s determination to further strengthen the partnership during his meetings with senior Iraqi officials.
The Iranian foreign minister also said that, under the first clause of the memorandum of understanding, the war must end on all fronts, including Lebanon.
Araghchi also hailed “the heroic resistance of the Iranian people during the war and the developments that followed.”
He expressed regret that the Israeli regime continued its attacks, adding that it was the responsibility of the US, under commitments it had accepted on behalf of itself and the Israeli regime in the memorandum, to stop those attacks, ensure an end to the war in Lebanon, and facilitate withdrawal from the occupied territories, in accordance with the agreement.
Heading a political delegation, Araghchi arrived in the Iraqi capital earlier in the day. Upon arrival, the foreign minister paid tribute to the martyred anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and Iraq’s martyred resistance commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
The visit’s agenda also includes reviewing arrangements for funeral ceremonies for the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, in various Iraqi cities.
Source: Al-Manar English Website