Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said no Iranian official attended the Sharm el-Sheikh meetings on Monday because Iran will not engage with counterparts who threaten and sanction its people.
Araghchi said his country is grateful for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s invitation to his Iranian counterpart to attend the Sharm el-Sheikh summit.
In a post on X early on Monday, the Iranian FM said, “while favoring diplomatic engagement, neither President [Masoud] Pezeshkian nor I can engage with counterparts who have attacked the Iranian People and continue to threaten and sanction us.”
He added, “Iran welcomes any initiative that ends Israel’s genocide in Gaza and ensures the expulsion of occupation force,” stressing that “Palestinians are fully entitled to secure their fundamental right of self-determination, and all states remain obliged, more than ever, to assist them in their lawful and legitimate cause.”
Araghchi also wrote that contrary to Israeli remarks, Iran is not after “forever wars.”
On Monday afternoon, al-Sisi and US President Donald Trump co-chaired a peace summit in Sharm el Sheikh on Gaza's future and the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in the presence of more than 20 world leaders.
For his part, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said al-Sisi extended an invitation to Pezeshkian to attend the summit.
“All aspects were examined during expert meetings both inside and outside the Foreign Ministry. All the positive and negative dimensions of attending or not attending were carefully assessed,” Baghaei said, adding that a final decision was made in line with national interests.
The Mehr news agency later quoted Baghaei as saying that, “after more than two years of genocide in Gaza, an understanding was reached for the Israeli regime to halt its attacks, and Iran’s position on this matter has been made very clear.”
