Iran Urges US to Honor Commitments Under June Agreement

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Tehran is ready to return to the terms of an agreement reached with the United States in June, but Washington must also fulfill its commitments under the deal.

Pezeshkian made the remarks on Tuesday while addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. His comments came a day after the United States and Iran resumed direct attacks following a nearly month-long lull, Al Jazeera reported.

Citing Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, Al Jazeera reported that Pezeshkian said Iran would immediately implement its own commitments if the United States returned to the commitments it had made under the agreement.

The agreement was reached in mid-June with mediation from Pakistan and Qatar. Its objective was to extend the ceasefire and create a framework for 60 days of negotiations aimed at ending the conflict between the two countries.

Under the agreement, Iran was expected to remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz and allow shipping to continue through the strategic waterway. In return, the United States was expected to lift its naval blockade, ease sanctions on Iran, allow oil exports and support efforts to help rebuild the country.

However, the ceasefire collapsed within weeks, leading to renewed exchanges of attacks between the United States and Iran around the Strait of Hormuz. The agreement subsequently expired last month.

Pezeshkian accused Washington of honoring its commitments for less than two weeks after the agreement was signed. He said the United States then chose to make additional demands and back away from its previous commitments.

Pezeshkian’s remarks come as tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high. His call for a return to the June agreement indicates that Iran remains open to diplomacy, but only if the United States also fulfills the commitments it made under the previous understanding.