Baghaei made the remarks during his weekly press briefing in Tehran on Monday, the same day Egypt hosts leaders from more than 20 countries in its resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh for a summit aimed at discussing US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end Israel’s war on Gaza. The summit is co-chaired by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
According to the spokesperson, President el-Sisi extended an invitation to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to attend the summit.
“All aspects were examined during expert meetings both inside and outside the Foreign Ministry. All the positive and negative dimensions of attending or not attending were carefully assessed,” Baghaei said while responding to IRNA, adding that a final decision was made in line with national interests.
Commenting on speculations that Iran’s absence from the summit reflected diminished regional influence, Baghaei dismissed such claims.
“Iran’s role in regional and international developments is not defined by its physical participation or lack thereof in a particular event. It goes far beyond that,” the diplomat said.
“Iran’s influence is certainly not confined to its attendance or absence at international gatherings. Over the past two years, Iran has been among the most active countries exerting pressure on the Zionist regime and its accomplices to halt the genocide in Gaza,” he added.
Baghaei added that Iran will continue to engage actively in regional and international affairs, stressing, “We are confident in our influence.”
