Speaking at a press conference with domestic and foreign media, Baghaei responded to a Nournews question about Donald Trump’s position on the Saudi Arabia-Turkey-Pakistan defense pact and the possibility of the three countries coordinating with Washington in forming the pact. He said regional countries had concluded following recent wars that the US was an unreliable and untrustworthy partner and that its military presence could not serve as a source of their security.
Baghaei added that the US military presence in regional countries could in no way provide their security, and that this had led many regional countries to conclude that they should ensure their security within the region by relying on their domestic and regional capabilities.
He continued: The Islamic Republic of Iran has stressed this issue for years and has called on regional countries to rely on their domestic and regional capabilities to ensure their security and to establish security mechanisms within the region.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman stressed that recent developments have shown that regional countries have become more aware than ever of the importance of relying on their own capabilities to ensure security, and that moving towards intra-regional security mechanisms is precisely the approach Iran has consistently advocated.
In response to a Nournews question about the possibility of a US role in the Saudi Arabia-Turkey-Pakistan defense pact and its impact on the region’s emerging security equations, Baghaei stressed that the most important point was that regional countries had concluded that their security should not depend on the presence and intervention of foreign forces.
He noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran had stressed for years the need for regional countries to rely on their own capabilities and establish intra-regional security mechanisms, and that recent developments had further demonstrated the importance of this approach.
Until status of Iranian pilots is clarified, they are presumed to be in captivity
Baghaei provided an update at his weekly press conference on the status of four Iranian pilots and reports that they were being held captive in Qatar. He said Iran maintains regular contacts with Qatar and that Iran’s concerns and considerations regarding the issue had been conveyed to the Qatari side.
Baghaei said: Regarding the four brave Iranian pilots who were dispatched on a defensive operation to strike the source of the US aggression, there is a serious demand for clarification of their status, and Iran began following up on their situation from the very day it became aware of the issue.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman added: I was with Mr. Araghchi when he learned of the matter on the evening of the first days of the war, and immediately following up on the pilots’ status was placed on the agenda. He continued: On March 16, the first correspondence with the Red Cross took place, and the Iranian Embassy also began following up on the matter from those days.
Baghaei stressed: As long as the status of these four pilots has not been clarified, the assumption is that they have been taken captive, and the Islamic Republic of Iran is using all its capabilities to establish their status.
He stated: I want to make it absolutely clear that from the very first days, following up on the status of these four pilots has been on the agenda. They were dispatched on a defensive operation, and Iran is continuing to pursue their status through diplomatic channels.
Foreign Ministry has sent no letter to parliament opposing Strait of Hormuz security bill
Responding to a question about whether the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had sent parliament a letter opposing the bill, Baghaei said: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not send such a letter, and we respect parliament’s decisions and procedures.
He added: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers itself obligated to provide all necessary cooperation with parliament in legislative processes and to express its views wherever necessary.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman continued: The ministry’s views on this bill have also been expressed. Regarding issues related to Iran’s sovereign rights over the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, laws already exist, and in the views it has presented, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken into consideration both existing laws and current developments.
Baghaei stressed: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to provide the necessary cooperation, and wherever members of parliament request the ministry’s views, it will present them.
Referring also to the August 19, 1953 coup, he said: This event was one of the bitterest experiences of foreign intervention in a country’s internal affairs, and the effects of US intervention continued to influence Iran’s foreign relations and subsequent developments in the country for years.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman stressed: One of the major mistakes regarding Iran is to assume that Iran today is the same Iran as in the past and that its political will can be imposed upon it. We witnessed such miscalculations in the two recent wars as well; according to Baghaei, this mistake has had significant consequences for the region and the world.
Baghaei said: Iran today, with its accumulated experience of steadfastness and resistance, is a country with a different society and a firm determination to defend its sovereignty, dignity and independence.
60-day deadline is no longer relevant; no negotiations had begun
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, referring to the 60-day period mentioned in the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, said: There is no provision in the text of the understanding referring to a 60-day deadline, and fundamentally, the negotiations that were supposed to take place during this period did not begin because of the blatant violation of the understanding by the US.
He added: What was included in the understanding, given the blatant US violations that have made its implementation status completely clear and rendered it inactive, envisaged discussions over a 60-day period on two issues, sanctions relief and the nuclear issue, and, if no result was reached, an extension of that period.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman continued: The negotiations never began because only a few weeks after the memorandum of understanding was signed on June 18, the US blatantly and extensively violated its text. Therefore, the 60-day issue is no longer relevant.
Baghaei also spoke about Iran’s preparedness in the face of security threats, saying: Our armed forces are fully alert and vigilant, keeping a close watch on every movement.
Regarding strengthening Iran’s relations with neighboring and regional countries, he said: Strengthening relations with various countries is part of the duties of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and we have this issue on our agenda.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman added: We are in contact with all regional countries and other relevant parties and are carrying out our routine duties.
Three factors have prolonged Iran-Oman negotiations
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, explaining the course of Iran-Oman negotiations and the drafting of the understanding package, said: The complexity of the issue, the number of actors involved, and the destructive efforts of certain ill-intentioned parties are the three main factors that have made this process time-consuming.
Clarifying that the “roadmap” refers to the route map for maritime traffic, he said: An understanding has been reached on the route map, but the final understanding is to be agreed upon in the form of a package that will include the map and a joint statement.
Baghaei added: The first factor is the complexity of the issue, because insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz was imposed on Iran, and the reason was the aggression by the US and the Israeli regime. For the first time, a mechanism is now to be developed to ensure the safe passage of ships.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman continued: The second factor is the number of actors involved in this process, and more important than these two is the third factor: the destructive efforts of certain ill-intentioned parties that have no regard for peace.
He stressed: These three factors have made the negotiations time-consuming. The process itself began on February 28, and subsequently, the process that led to June 18 was unfortunately met with a breach of commitments by the US.
Baghaei said: Talks between Iran and Oman are continuing, and both sides have demonstrated their determination to continue the process.
Claim of Iran-US talks in Iraqi Kurdistan is a media tactic
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, responding to claims by US sources that Iran and the US had established contact through the Kurdistan Region, said: We have not held any meeting with the US in the Kurdistan Region, and these claims are media tactics aimed at creating the impression of divisions among Iran’s decision-making bodies.
He added: Such attempts to create an atmosphere are carried out out of desperation. Over the past six months, it has become abundantly clear that cohesion among the competent bodies of the Islamic Republic of Iran is unprecedented.
Baghaei stressed: The negotiating team enjoys the trust of all the country’s institutions, including its defense bodies. Decision-making in Iran is institutional, and various institutions make the best decisions while taking all considerations into account.
Is handing over your territory to the enemy respect for a neighbor?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, responding to Bahrain’s letter to the UN Security Council regarding Iran, said Tehran respects the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in the region and asked: “Is handing over your territory to the enemy respect for a neighboring country?”
At the Foreign Ministry’s weekly press conference, Baghaei said regarding Bahrain’s letter to the Security Council: I did not mention the name of any country in my tweet, and if someone considered themselves the addressee, that is a separate matter.
He added: We respect the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in the region, including the country that assumed it was the addressee of that tweet.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman continued, addressing the Bahraini side: A UN resolution was adopted in 1970, under which a decision was made to resolve a dispute between the two governments of Iran and Britain.
Referring to discussions concerning Iran’s relations with regional countries and the principle of good neighborliness, Baghaei continued: The main reason for raising these issues was the failure of regional countries to adhere to this very principle of good neighborliness and to pay attention to geographic realities.
He concluded by asking the Bahraini side: “Is handing over your territory to the enemy respect for a neighboring country?”
Pakistan still seeking to mediate between Iran and US
Regarding the recent visit to Tehran by Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan’s interior minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said: The visit took place within the framework of routine exchanges between the two neighboring countries, during which bilateral issues and regional developments were discussed.
He stressed that there had been no special message from Pakistan’s prime minister or army chief, but Islamabad was still seeking to use its capabilities to play a mediating role in Iran-US negotiations.
Baghaei also criticized US violations of its commitments, saying that this had undermined the mediation role of countries such as Pakistan and, previously, Oman.
Environmental damage from US and Israeli attacks is enormous
Baghaei, referring to environmental damage caused by the war and the military presence of extra-regional forces in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, said: Iran has placed the pursuit of these damages and holding the intervening parties accountable on its agenda. He stressed that the damage to the region’s environment is not limited to the recent attacks or to a specific period, and that over the past five decades, the military presence of the US and its allies in the region has had extensive environmental consequences.
Baghaei said: The US military presence in the region has always involved the use of various equipment and weapons and the holding of military exercises, and numerous wars have also taken place in the region. According to him, even during wars that occurred outside the region, US and allied naval vessels and warships have been present in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
Referring to the escalation of damage over the past two years, he said: The attacks by the US and the Israeli regime against Iran and various facilities located along the shores of the Persian Gulf, alongside the continued US military presence, have increased the scale of this damage. He described the total environmental damage as enormous, amounting to thousands of billions of dollars.
Baghaei also stressed that the environmental damage does not affect Iran alone and impacts all countries bordering the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. He called for vigilance and responsibility from regional countries and for the US and other intervening parties to be held accountable.
Activities of two French Embassy employees were an explicit violation of Vienna Convention
Baghaei, responding to the activities of two French Embassy employees in Iran, said: Regardless of the individuals’ identities, what matters to the Islamic Republic of Iran is the position expressed in the name of a state, and this is in no way acceptable.
He added: French officials were expected to respond reasonably and apologize for the activities of two of their embassy employees who, by their own admission, were assisting Iranian civil society.
Baghaei stressed: Fundamentally, this concept is not recognized in conventional diplomatic law, and insisting that these individuals were engaged in activities related to supporting civil society is itself an admission of a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman continued: From the outset, the French ambassador was summoned and a formal protest was lodged over the actions of these two individuals. The two individuals also left Iran, and the Islamic Republic of Iran formally announced that they would not be permitted to return to the country.
He noted: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has carried out its measures and duties in this regard, and the relevant authorities will, whenever they deem it necessary, express their concerns and views in an appropriate manner. Baghaei also said that the statement issued by the Ministry of Intelligence was released in light of that ministry’s considerations.
NOURNEWS