Iran urges US to uphold MoU

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged Washington to remain committed to the memorandum of understanding, or MoU, signed with Iran in June, as US President Donald Trump claimed that talks would resume on Monday after he held off fresh strikes against Tehran.

But during his weekly news briefing on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said they are not currently holding any talks with the US.

"We are not holding any negotiations with the United States at present," Baghaei was quoted as saying by Iran's Mehr News Agency, adding the ongoing talks are exclusively between Iran and Oman and are focused on reaching an understanding on the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

Baghaei said Iran and Oman are working, in consultation, to determine a temporary arrangement that would ensure maritime safety in the strategic waterway.

He also stressed that negotiations are strictly bilateral between the two littoral states and clarified that while other parties may play either a constructive or destructive role, the issue itself concerns only Iran and Oman, with any future developments to be decided later.

He also said that as long as the US naval blockade and its hostile actions and violations continue, no change should be expected in the status of the strait.

Baghaei also said at the conference the country will take every necessary action to "hold Ukraine to account" for its recent attack on an Iranian vessel. On July 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country's forces had hit a Russian warship and vessels used for transporting Iran-linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea.

In another development, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement on Monday that its aerospace division's "modern and advanced" air defense system shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone over the strait.

Meanwhile, in a post on X on Sunday, Pezeshkian said the US-Iran memorandum, signed and aimed at ending the conflict, "is the result of the collective wisdom of Shura Council's members".

'Center of relations'

"I believe this memorandum will be the center of gravity of our foreign relations in the future. We must strive to compel the enemy to remain committed to what it has signed," said Pezeshkian.

Trump said on Sunday that he was holding off on planned new strikes against Iran, claiming that a proposed agreement could lead to the "immediate, complete and total" reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and address US concerns over Iran's nuclear program.

The US leader said Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Iran had asked him to call off the strikes.

"The reason they asked is they think there's a deal, there's a deal on Hormuz and there will be a deal on the nuclear — or you might call it the denuclearization of Iran," he told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Trump said negotiations were expected to resume on Monday afternoon, without identifying the participants or location.

Despite Trump stating that Israel "joins me in this commitment" to hold off on the attack, Israel said it would strike Iran if it considered it necessary.

"With or without an agreement, and regardless of any external commitments, if Iran attempts to renew its nuclear program or advance its ballistic missile industries, we will be there. We will take action, and we will strike," said Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen.

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X on Sunday that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held separate phone calls with his Qatari and Jordanian counterparts.

During the calls, they discussed the latest developments and underscored the importance of supporting ongoing efforts and unifying positions to de-escalate and address any actions that could undermine regional security.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also held separate phone conversations with his Saudi counterpart and Pakistan's chief of army staff, General Asim Munir, for the second time in 24 hours, to discuss the latest diplomatic efforts aimed at preserving and strengthening security and stability in West Asia, Tasnim News Agency reported on Monday.

The three sides reviewed the latest developments in ongoing diplomatic efforts and initiatives aimed at preserving and reinforcing security and stability across the West Asia region.

Cui Haipei in Dubai, UAE, contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com