Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian returned home abruptly after news of U.S. airstrikes while attending the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in Iraq.
On July 8, prominent Arab media outlets, including Al Jazeera, reported, citing Iran's state broadcaster IRIB, that Pezeshkian, who was in Najaf, Iraq, for the funeral, quickly began his journey back to Iran following the airstrike news.
Pezeshkian had been in Najaf for Khamenei's funeral, which was in its fourth day when Khamenei's remains were transferred to the Shiite holy site.
The U.S. conducted airstrikes on July 7 in response to Iran's attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes targeted key Iranian port cities, including Bandar Abbas, a naval base, and Kharg Island, a major oil export terminal, as well as Sirik and Qeshm Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who was attending a NATO summit in Turkey, approved the strikes as a response to the attacks on commercial vessels, according to Axios, citing a U.S. official. Additionally, the U.S. Treasury Department revoked temporary sanctions exemptions that had allowed Iranian oil sales, resuming economic pressure on Iran.
In response, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated, "The U.S. action to revoke the waiver for Iranian oil sales constitutes a clear violation of Article 10 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and subsequent military operations against Iran also represent significant violations of Articles 1 and 2 of the Islamabad MOU," suggesting a potential collapse of the previous agreements.
Iran has maintained that it cannot engage in further negotiations unless the U.S. halts its sanctions and threats. Consequently, the recent attacks by Iran and the U.S. response have cast doubt on the prospects for peace negotiations between the two sides.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.