Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is embarked on a tour of several nations of Southwest Asia seeking regional cooperation to halt Israel’s genocide in Gaza and Lebanon, secure delivery of humanitarian aid and prevent a worse escalation of tensions. He visited Lebanon on Oct. 4 and Syria Oct. 5. Yesterday in Tehran he spoke at the conference “Al Aqsa Storm: the Beginning of Nasrallah” attended by foreign ambassadors and heads of missions, sponsored by the Foreign Ministry’s Office of Political and International Studies. Today he is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where he met with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, after which he flew to Qatar. Aside from the regional crisis, Araghchi also discussed bilateral relations with both Saudi leaders, stressing the need to strengthen economic, security and political relations, Press-TV reported today.
In Tehran yesterday, Aragchi warned Israel directly “not to test the resolution of the Islamic Republic. If any attack against our country takes place, our response will be more powerful,” RT reported him saying. He particularly warned against attacks on Iran’s infrastructure, stressing that Iran doesn’t seek escalation of tensions, and supports efforts towards a ceasefire, but is fully prepared for war. The Iranian Parliament is reportedly drafting a “resistance pact” to bolster regional security and counter potential external threats, especially from the U.S. and Israel. The Foreign Minister emphasized, “we will work towards a collective effort by regional countries to stop the brutal attacks in Lebanon.”
During his meeting with Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Araghchi stressed the importance of implementing the agreements signed by the two governments, which reestablished diplomatic relations in March 2023 and which have made steady progress since then in improving their bilateral relations. Prince Faisal bin Farhan similarly underscored his nation’s commitment to strengthening their relationship.
