Iran FM visits Iraq amid renewed US clashes, urges MOU compliance

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to neighboring Iraq on Saturday to stress the need to uphold a memorandum of understanding on ending the war, as two consecutive days of armed clashes between the United States and Iran put the agreement under strain.

Araghchi visited Baghdad on Saturday local time and held talks with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. At a joint press conference afterward, he said "tensions and conflict have escalated due to incidents that occurred over the past two days in the Strait of Hormuz."

He then urged all parties to "refrain from interfering with the measures Iran is preparing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, comply with the MOU that has been concluded, and not deviate from its spirit."

Araghchi said the strait could be restored to a "pre-war state" within 30 days, but only if Iran secured control of the waterway and cleared obstacles under the MOU. He added that "the war must end on all fronts, including Lebanon, in accordance with Article 1 of the memorandum."

He went on to say that "the security of the Persian Gulf region must be reviewed by all countries in the region, and a new framework must be established with the participation of all nations, without the intervention or interference of outside parties."

On the continued armed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, Araghchi said the US government "bears responsibility, on behalf of the Zionist (Israeli) regime, to halt their attacks and withdraw from occupied territories, as pledged in the MOU."

Araghchi added that, following coordination with Iraqi authorities that day, it had been confirmed that part of the funeral proceedings for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei — scheduled for early July — would be held at holy sites in Iraq.