Iran to defend against any new U.S.-Israeli "adventurism": president

Alsharq Tribune-Ahmed Essam 

Iran is determined to comprehensively defend itself against any repeated "adventurism" by the United States and Israel, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday.

During a phone conversation, Pezeshkian discussed with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif the latest developments in the region, peace talks between Tehran and Washington in Islamabad and issues related to the two-week ceasefire, his office said in a statement.

Pezeshkian warned about the consequences of a new anti-Iran "adventurism" by the United States and Israel for the security in the West Asia region and the world.

The United States has continuously broken its promises during the peace talks and the ceasefire period, he said, condemning the continuation of its "provocative and illegal" action of imposing the so-called naval blockade on Iran as a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement and contrary to the UN Charter.

Such actions, along with the U.S. officials' rhetoric of threat against Iran, have only led to Tehran's increased doubts about Washington's seriousness, and further expose the fact that the United States is seeking to repeat the previous patterns and betray diplomacy, said the Iranian president.

He stressed that Iran is determined to maintain and improve relations with all neighbors based on the principles of good neighborliness and mutual respect, and hopes that the neighboring and regional countries, while taking into account the recent experiences, would also strive to ensure regional peace and security based on collective cooperation and without the "destructive" intervention of transregional actors, especially the United States.

Sharif, for his part, expounded on Pakistan's efforts to end the conflict and establish peace in the region, and briefed the Iranian president on his recent consultations with regional countries in that regard.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that U.S. forces have intercepted and taken custody of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to bypass its blockade in the Gulf of Oman. Iran has attacked U.S. military ships in retaliation for the U.S. seizure of its vessel, according to latest news reports.