Iran needs guarantees against another US-Israeli attack before it can ensure security in the oil-rich Gulf, Tehran’s envoy to the United Nations said Monday.
The United States said that it was examining Iran’s latest proposal to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, two months after a US and Israeli offensive sent shockwaves through the global economy.
Trump met with top security advisors on Monday to discuss an Iranian proposal after Tehran passed “written messages” to Washington via Pakistan, spelling out its red lines in negotiations, including on nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz, the Fars news agency reported.
The proposal was “being discussed,” spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told a White House briefing.
The ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, addressing a Security Council session, said, “Lasting stability and security in the Persian Gulf and the wider region can only be achieved through a durable and permanent cessation of aggression against Iran supplemented by credible guarantees of non-recurrence and full respect for the legitimate sovereign rights and interests of Iran.”
Speaking afterward to reporters, Iravani said, “The United States is acting like pirates and terrorists, targeting commercial vessels through coercion and intimidation, terrorizing their crews, unlawfully seizing ships and taking crew members hostage.”
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that Iran must be ready to make “major concessions” to end a crisis, as countries piled pressure on Tehran at a UN session on its control of the key Strait of Hormuz.
“There can be no lasting solution to this crisis unless the Iranian regime agrees to major concessions and a radical shift in its stance,” Barrot told the UN Security Council.
The Security Council session was initiated by Bahrain and saw dozens of countries condemning Iran for exerting control over the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
On the Lebanese front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite the ceasefire between the two sides. Meanwhile, the Israeli army expanded its strikes on Lebanon, with authorities reporting that four people were killed on Monday in the south of the country. (AFP)
