ISLAMABAD: Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi discussed regional developments with Pakistan’s military chief and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on Sunday, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported, as United States President Donald Trump announced he was canceling fresh strikes against Iran.
Araghchi spoke to Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, as well as his Saudi and Turkish counterparts Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Hakan Fidan, respectively, over the telephone, IRNA reported.
The discussions took place as Trump announced calling off fresh strikes against Iran on Sunday, a day after he had suggested the US was close to resuming heavy military strikes to force Tehran to the negotiating table. Trump said he ordered off the strikes as Middle Eastern countries had reached the “parameters” of a deal to end the five-month-old war.
“Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate phone calls today with Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan; Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye; and Faisal bin Farhan, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, to review the latest regional developments,” IRNA reported.
The statement said Araghchi discussed “ongoing conspiracies and aggressive acts” by the US and Israel against Iran during the talks. It added that the Iranian foreign minister highlighted the consequences of “aggressive and destabilizing” US measures, warning of the risk of escalating tensions across the region.
Araghchi stressed that any hostile act by the US and Israel, or participation by regional countries would be met with a “decisive and proportionate’ response from Iran, IRNA reported.
The discussions took place amid heightened tensions across the region, with the State Department issuing new security alerts on Saturday urging US citizens in the Middle East to prepare for the possibility of flight cancelations, temporary airspace closures and other travel disruptions.
The US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, starting a war that Trump said was aimed at destroying Tehran’s missile capabilities, preventing it from obtaining a nuclear weapon and ending its support for allied armed groups. But the stated goals and timelines for the conflict have repeatedly shifted, and an earlier mid-June deal to stop the fighting crumbled within weeks.
Iran has repeatedly attacked vessels attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz passageway without its authorization as part of its ongoing conflict with the US.
