Belgium says Iran-US talks offer opportunity for comprehensive peace agreement

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said Monday that ongoing talks between Iran and the US offer an opportunity that should be seized to achieve a comprehensive peace agreement, including for Lebanon.

Following a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Prevot said he stressed the importance of advancing diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Washington.

“I told Minister Araghchi that the talks with the US offer an opportunity that must be seized to reach a comprehensive peace agreement. Every effort must be made on both sides to reach swiftly a peace agreement, including for Lebanon, whose territorial integrity must be respected by Israel,” he wrote on US social media company X.

Prevot also urged Iran to stop playing what he described as a “destabilizing” role in the region, including through support for proxy groups, saying the region and the wider world had already suffered too much from ongoing hostilities.

During the conversation, Prevot also raised concerns about freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

“I insisted upon the obligation to respect the right of transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with international law,” he said.

“According to Belgium, there should not be any obstacle, any payment of any sort,” he added.

Tensions in the Middle East have remained high since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. Tehran retaliated with attacks targeting Israel and US allies in the Gulf, alongside the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but subsequent talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement.