Iran won’t endorse OIC resolution on Yemen without fairness

TEHRAN, Oct 18: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran will not endorse a resolution on Yemen at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) ministerial meeting in Baghdad if it fails to ensure fairness and balance. 

Speaking to reporters in Baghdad on Sunday, Araqchi said serious discussions have taken place on Yemen, with Saudi Arabia and other countries presenting their positions.

Araqchi also discussed the OIC’s role in resolving disputes among Muslim countries, Iran’s relations with Lebanon, Tehran’s proposed seven-day plan presented to the US, and Iran’s readiness for both defense and diplomacy.

The Iranian foreign minister said the OIC foreign ministers’ meeting was a regular annual gathering, with Iraq assuming the rotating presidency this year. He stressed that Iraq, as a friendly neighboring country, is important to Iran and that its success in leading the organization could have considerable significance.

He said the OIC is expected to play a constructive role in resolving disputes among Muslim countries.

“I emphasi zed that the Islamic Republic of Iran is interested in having comprehensive political, economic and cultural relations with Lebanon as a country,” Araqchi said, adding that Lebanon’s internal affairs are a matter for the Lebanese people themselves.

He said any decisions made by Lebanon’s political groups, including Hezbollah, would naturally involve actors that play a role in the country’s internal affairs. Araqchi described Hezbollah as one of Lebanon’s most important political groups and “an undeniable reality in Lebanese society.”

“Whatever decisions they make, it is natural that they will not face opposition from the Islamic Republic of Iran, because these are Lebanon’s internal affairs,” he said.

Turning to Iran-US relations and the Strait of Hormuz, Araqchi said Tehran’s position is clear and has been conveyed to Washington in the form of a seven-day plan. He said the US has submitted its views in response and Iran is still preparing its reply.

“From our point of view, the seven-day plan remains on the table,” he said.

Araqchi added that if the US acts in good faith �" which he said it has not done �" a path forward will be available. “If they comply with those conditions, the Strait (of Hormuz) will be opened on the sixth day, and negotiations will begin on the seventh day,” he said. �" AGENCIES