Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says Iran did not receive a formal invitation to join a proposed regional security pact involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, while noting that regional countries had raised the broader issue of regional security in their discussions with Tehran.
“We have not received an official invitation, but talks have been raised by these countries regarding the general issue of regional security,” Baqaei said at a Monday press conference.
The spokesperson said Tehran saw no reason to believe that an arrangement involving three Islamic countries and two Muslim neighboring states was intended to target Iran.
“We have no reason to think that a pact in which three Islamic countries and two Muslim neighboring countries are members is aimed against Iranians,” he said.
He said, however, that the discussions reflected growing concerns among regional states about US policies and their assessment that Washington’s primary concern in the region was protecting the illegitimate interests of Israel.
According to Baqaei, regional countries consequently recognized the need to develop indigenous mechanisms to protect the region from Israeli expansionism.
US rhetoric stems from desperation and miscalculation
Responding to remarks by the US Treasury secretary that an economic reckoning for Iran was approaching and that Washington would impose economic and trade sanctions, Baqaei said the various forms of US pressure over the past five decades have pursued the same objective.
“From crippling sanctions to maximum pressure and economic war, all pursue one goal, and that is to force a nation that has decided to stand on its own feet to surrender, a nation that has decided not to give up its rights and knows that these waves, whether in the form of war, terrorism or economic sanctions, all pursue one goal,” he said.
Baqaei argued that Iran has resisted those measures and would continue defending its rights.
“In all these fields, they have failed. Once again, the Iranian nation will show that it is determined and steadfast in safeguarding its rights,” he said.
He described recent US rhetoric as stemming from desperation and miscalculation, saying Washington had mistakenly believed military aggression could bring Iranians to their knees.
Baqaei also criticized instability in US policymaking, rejecting claims that Iran was an unreliable negotiating partner.
Iran, Iraq security interests are intertwined
Baqaei described Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s recent visit to Iraq as “very important,” citing the countries’ close ties and shared security interests.
He said Iran and Iraq should expand relations across all fields and work to transform their shared border into “secure borders, borders of friendship.”
He added that useful talks had been held between Ghalibaf and Iraqi officials and expressed hope that bilateral cooperation would continue in the interests of both countries.
Baqaei advises US sailors to return home
Addressing reports about difficult conditions facing US sailors and Marines aboard a US aircraft carrier, including reduced food supplies, poor sanitary conditions and severe fatigue and depression, Baqaei advised the American personnel to leave the region.
He urged them to return home, saying this would be the appropriate way for them to escape the difficult circumstances surrounding their deployment.
