Iranian Foreign Minister: Peace Talks Will Not Begin If Terrorist Threats Continue

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi/DOK kremlin.ru

JAKARTA - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed that negotiations to reach a final peace agreement with the United States would not begin if threats against Iran continued.

Through a post on the X social media, Araghchi quoted the provisions in Article 13 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed by Iran and the United States last month.

"Article 13 of the Memorandum of Understanding clearly states that negotiations on the final agreement will not begin if the threats continue. Honor your signature," Araghchi wrote, quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Tuesday, July 7.

The Islamabad Memorandum, which was mediated by Pakistan, came into force on June 18 after being signed electronically by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump.

The agreement, which contains 14 points, opens a period of diplomacy for 60 days through indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States to reach a permanent peace agreement.

Araghchi's statement came hours after Trump warned Washington was ready to use military force if the diplomatic track failed.

"We're either going to reach an agreement or we're going to finish what we started. It won't be hard to do. However, I prefer to reach an agreement because I don't want 91 million people to be affected," Trump told reporters at the White House.

The statement also came a day after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to "disrupt" any future Iranian leader who attempts to attack his country.

In the same post, Araghchi also shared photos showing a large crowd of mourners in Tehran in the funeral procession of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei was killed on February 28, the first day of the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran.