As dozens of world leaders gather in Egypt on October 13 for a summit aimed at ending the devastating two-year war in Gaza, one country will be conspicuously absent.
Iran, a key backer of US-designated Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, has rejected a formal invitation to attend the meeting in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
The decision has triggered criticism from some Iranian commentators, who labeled it as a missed opportunity to deescalate tensions with Washington and ease Tehran’s international isolation.
Co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi and US President Donald Trump, the summit in Egypt comes days after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-sponsored cease-fire and hostage release deal that has raised hopes of a negotiated end to the war.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote on X that Tehran, despite “favoring diplomatic engagement,” would not “engage with counterparts who have attacked the Iranian People and continue to threaten and sanction us.”
Araqchi was referring to the 12-day war in June, when the United States bombed Iran’s nuclear sites as part of an Israeli bombing campaign.
His comments failed to quell criticism from some Iranian political commentators.
Former senior lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh said Iran’s no-show “kills a serious opportunity for de-escalation.”
Falahatpisheh added that the decision will further isolate Iran, which is under US and UN sanctions, on the international stage.
Others appealed directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all important matters of the state.
“Act wise and do not let this opportunity slip away as in the past,” said journalist Alireza Mostofi.
Conflict Or Compromise
But conservative commentators defended the decision.
Journalist Nezamoddin Musavi hailed President Masud Pezeshkian for “not succumbing to the political temptations of certain individuals” and opting instead to stay in Tehran.
SEE ALSO: Anxious Iranians Brace For Impact Of Returning UN SanctionsAnalyst Diako Hosseini maintained that Iran would be “rewarding the United States” for the June bombing campaign if it took part in the summit.
Ata Mohamed-Tabriz, a Spain-based analyst, said some political factions in Iran prefer to continue the country’s confrontation with the West.
“My view is that the Islamic republic believes conflict serves its interests more than entering a compromise that would cost it concessions,” he told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.
Mohamed-Tabriz added that Tehran has effectively decided it “does not want to be in the Western bloc” and intends to oppose it and absorb the costs.