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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that the United States must end its pressure and threats and lift sanctions before any negotiations can begin, as he met Pakistan’s army chief in Tehran.
“Before any negotiations, they must first end the pressure and threats and lift sanctions,” Pezeshkian said, according to remarks carried by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
Speaking to Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pezeshkian said the region’s problems, from rising tensions to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, “stem from US warmongering.”
The strait is a narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf and a major route for global oil shipments.
Pezeshkian also said Washington owed the world an explanation. “The Americans must explain why they started the war and embroiled themselves and the world in it,” he said.
Munir arrived in the Iranian capital on Tuesday with a delegation of officials. Pakistan and Iran share a border.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said earlier in the day that the visit was mainly aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad.
Responding to speculation that Munir might deliver a political message or a military threat, Baqaei said some exchanges between the two countries involved negotiations but that most focused on bilateral ties.
He stressed the importance of relations between the neighbors and efforts to expand cooperation.
The visit comes as tensions between Iran and the United States continue and diplomatic efforts to resolve their differences remain stalled.
Pakistan has acted as a mediator in attempts to ease tensions between Washington and Tehran during the war that the United States and Israel launched on Feb. 28.
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