TEHRAN, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi is scheduled to visit Pakistan and Oman in the coming days, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Sunday, as the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that a supertanker carrying over 2 million barrels of oil sank in the Gulf's southern waters following "massive explosions" after hitting naval mines.
Baghaei said in a statement that Araghchi will attend the 30th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Islamabad on Sunday and Monday, where trade and economic cooperation among the group's 10 member states will be discussed.
Araghchi will hold talks with his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi in Muscat on Tuesday, the spokesman added.
According to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, Araghchi will leave Tehran for Islamabad on Sunday.
Both Pakistan and Oman have mediated talks between Iran and the United States within the past months.
In September, Tasnim reported that Tehran and Muscat had agreed on the details of new entry and exit routes for the Strait of Hormuz after "intensive technical and diplomatic talks."
Also on Sunday, the IRGC navy said two "violating" oil tankers suffered "massive" explosions after hitting naval mines on the "unauthorized" route south of the strait.
The vessels had turned off identification and GPS systems and sought to "stealthily" cross the waterway with the U.S. Army's support, the navy said in a statement on the IRGC's official news outlet Sepah News.
It identified one of the vessels as a supertanker carrying over 2 million barrels of oil, saying it caught fire following the blast and sank in the Gulf's southern waters.
The navy cautioned fishing vessels about the wreckage and warned tanker owners and crews, as well as shipping companies' managers, against approaching the "forbidden" mined region in the strait, saying the same fate awaits all vessels that violate the ban.
It also said early Sunday that two other "violating" tankers, which sought to transit the "unauthorized" route south of the strait, exploded and caught fire after hitting mines, while two more tankers turned back to the Gulf after receiving warnings from its maritime traffic control.
In Tehran, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Sunday it is "absolutely not important for us" whether the United States seeks negotiation or war, according to the official news agency IRNA.
Qalibaf, who is also the head of Iran's negotiating team, made the remarks after U.S. President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social platform Thursday that Washington does not "need a deal with Iran."
Trump noted that he had asked Vice President JD Vance, who used to be responsible for talks with Tehran, to focus on domestic issues.
Qalibaf said Iran will not remain in the "neither war nor peace" situation, adding that if Washington accepts Iran's seven conditions, the path to reaching an agreement will be open.
However, he warned, if the United States makes another mistake, "the geography of the battle will be determined by the Iranian armed forces' capabilities and resolve, not the wishes and will of the adversaries."
At a weekly press conference in Tehran, Baghaei noted that U.S. internal issues are of little importance to Iran, "though in many cases Washington's internal issues have affected its diplomacy and foreign policy."
He said that Iran is focused on safeguarding its national security and interests, does not wait for anybody, and will not let any blow or military aggression against the country go unanswered.
Baghaei emphasized that Iran will not forgo its rights under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8. On June 18, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war in the region on all fronts.
Under the MoU, the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, ending on Aug. 17, to reach a final agreement on Iran's nuclear program and the removal of sanctions. However, they failed to make sufficient progress toward a deal as tensions continued to escalate. ■
