Iran's president says U.S., Israel seek to sow division among Muslim states

TEHRAN, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said here Sunday the United States and Israel have always sought to turn Muslim states against one another through creating division and distrust among them.

During a meeting with visiting Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Pezeshkian said Iran seeks "cordial and lasting relations based on good neighborliness" with Muslim states in the West Asia region, read a presidency statement.

Iran's principled policy is based on expanding friendly ties with neighboring and regional states, he said, urging the Muslim world's major countries to help establish lasting peace, security and stability in the region through strengthening cooperation and interactions.

Pezeshkian praised Pakistan's efforts to establish and consolidate a ceasefire between Iran and the United States, voicing hope that such diplomatic and political efforts would help strengthen regional peace, stability and security.

He condemned the U.S. and Israeli military "aggression" against Iran and the "major crimes" committed during their attacks.

Naqvi, for his part, outlined Pakistan's efforts to help end the conflict and ease regional tensions, while stressing the deep historical, cultural and people-to-people ties between Pakistan and Iran. He said the two countries' "close and brotherly" bonds have grown stronger than ever.

Also on Sunday, Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, warned that the United States must accept Iran's terms or "surrender" to its missiles, according to Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency.

He said Iran would under no circumstances back down on its demands.

Separately, Iranian Defense Ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik on Sunday rejected U.S. claims that Iran has lost its defense capabilities. He said Iran stands ready to give a "decisive" response to any threat and aggression, according to Mehr.

According to the official news agency IRNA, Iranian armed forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi warned on Sunday of "crushing and severe blows" given any "repeated stupidity" by the United States.

Iran, the United States and Israel reached a ceasefire on April 8 after 40 days of fighting that started with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.

Following the truce, Iranian and U.S. delegations held one round of peace talks in Pakistan's Islamabad on April 11 and 12, which failed to yield an agreement.

Over the past weeks, the two sides have reportedly exchanged several proposed plans outlining conditions for ending the conflict through Pakistani mediation. Enditem