TEHRAN, JUN 24: The deal between Iran and the United States to end the Middle East war is “America’s declaration of defeat,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian negotiating team, said on Wednesday.

“The Islamabad understanding was not the result of pressure and coercion, but rather the result of the resistance and authority of the brave Iranian nation,” Ghalibaf said, referring to the text finalized through Pakistani mediation.

“That is why, the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding became a declaration of America’s defeat,” he said, adding that security in the Middle East must be ensured by the countries of the region.

He was addressing a conference in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku on Wednesday, which was broadcast on Iranian television.

“We see the future of the region not in confrontation but in interaction, and not in elimination but in coexistence,” Ghalibaf said.

Iran’s chief negotiator also reiterated that peace in Lebanon was a fundamental pillar of reaching a definitive agreement with Washington.

“For us, the ceasefire in Lebanon has been and is as important as the ceasefire in Iran, and the end of the war in Lebanon has been as important as the end of the war in Iran.”

With AFP