Iran did not initiate the war with the US and still considers diplomacy and negotiations as the main path to resolving differences, but effective guarantees for the implementation of agreements are needed, said the president of the Islamic Republic, Masoud Pezeshkian.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran did not initiate the war. On the contrary, it defended itself," Pezeshkian said at the SCO+ meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

"At the same time, Iran still considers diplomacy and negotiations to be the main path to resolving differences. However, diplomacy, without goodwill, without respect for the obligations undertaken and without renunciation of the use of force, is not able to ensure lasting peace," Pezeshkian added.

He noted that recent experience and repeated violations of the US' commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding have shown that "even when the parties reach a political agreement to end the conflict and begin negotiations, the lack of effective guarantees for the implementation of the agreements and a return to the policy of pressure and threats can lead the diplomatic process to failure."