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Iran's foreign minister called on Sunday for the establishment of a new security framework with Gulf countries, after Iranian strikes on U.S. bases in the Gulf in retaliation for American attacks.
"We should reach a new framework that includes all countries in the region and without the presence or interference of any country from outside the region," Abbas Araghchi said at a news conference during a visit to Iraq's capital, Baghdad.
Araghchi traveled to Baghdad for talks with senior Iraqi officials as tensions remained high after Iran's Revolutionary Guard said missile and drone strikes targeted eight U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain in response to recent American attacks on Iranian positions.
Araghchi warned that any attempt to bypass Strait of Hormuz routes agreed upon with the United States would "increase tensions" in the Middle East, as Tehran and Washington traded attacks and accusations of violating a fragile ceasefire.
"Any attempt to adopt new or separate arrangements compared to what is underway by the Islamic Republic of Iran will only lead to more complicated situations and delays in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and will increase the tensions, as we witnessed in the past two nights," Araghchi told reporters.
Vessels have continued to use a non-Iranian-approved passage in the strategic waterway, tracking platforms showed Friday.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said a day earlier that Oman and the International Maritime Organization had announced the new corridor without consulting Tehran, warning vessels against using it.
Araghchi's warning came after the U.S. military said it carried out new strikes Saturday on multiple targets in Iran in response to a fresh attack on a ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran responded by launching strikes against U.S. bases in the Gulf.
The recent clashes have tested the negotiating process meant to end a war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on Feb. 28.
Araghchi called on all parties to "adhere to the memorandum of understanding and not to allow this MoU to deviate from its course."
Araghchi welcomed Iraq's call to hold a meeting between Gulf states, Iran and Iraq, which were drawn into the Middle East war from the beginning.
Iraq is expected to hold funeral processions on July 8 for Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during attacks by the U.S. and Israel on the first day of the war.
The visit comes after a framework deal halted the war between the U.S. and Iran and opened the way for 60 days of talks toward a broader agreement.
The deal has been followed by intermittent hostilities between the two countries, including U.S. attacks on southern Iran over the weekend and retaliatory Iranian strikes on U.S. positions in Gulf states.
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