Iran president olive branch US: Pezeshkian extends hand to Washington right before Putin sit-down
By: Abudu Olalekan
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian came out Tuesday and said he’d match any US step back toward that June deal meant to stop the fighting. He’s heading to meet Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan. The two sides were supposed to talk on the sidelines. Russia and China push this bloc as their own thing, away from the West.
“I state explicitly that if the United States returns to its commitments under the aforementioned Memorandum of Understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately take reciprocal action,” Pezeshkian said, per the presidency site.
That memo was supposed to end the hostilities that kicked off late February after US and Israeli strikes. Those killed former supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The deal was meant to set up real peace talks. It fell apart. Both sides blamed the other for breaking it.
Pezeshkian spoke as the Strait of Hormuz stayed a flashpoint. Fire started up again Monday after a month of quiet. Tehran kept the waterway shut. They say they’ll reopen it if the US comes back to the June terms.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi piled on Monday. He told the US to “return to its commitments and to what their president signed.” “In that case, everything can be put back on the right track,” he added.
Putin sat down with China’s Xi Jinping on Monday at the same summit. Leaders from Turkey, India, Pakistan showed up too. This happens four-and-a-half years into Russia’s Ukraine war and six months into the US-Iran mess.
Xi called Russia-China ties “more solid” with “even brighter” prospects. Putin said cooperation was “successfully developing on all fronts.” Russia leans hard on China now. Moscow also tightened military and economic links with Iran. Trump warned Moscow and Beijing not to arm Iran.
The SCO used to stick to economics. Lately it picked up steam under Moscow and Beijing. Ten members plus 15 dialogue partners like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar. Afghanistan and Mongolia sit as observers.
That’s the picture. Olive branch out, summit talks next. We’ll see if it sticks.
Olalekan A. Abudu is a seasoned and dedicated News Journalist at REPORTERS ROOM, with over eight years of experience. He specializes in politics, climate change, health, and education, while also covering security, economic, and judicial issues. Committed to accuracy and balanced reporting, Olalekan exemplifies the principles of public-interest journalism.
