Iran Says It Accepts Year-Old U.N. Call for Cease-Fire in War

Iran said today that it will accept a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in its nearly 8-year-old war with Iraq, which has claimed an estimated 1 million lives.

However, Iran also said it will not withdraw its troops from its borders and called on Iranians to prepare to thwart further Iraqi attacks.

The announcement came one day after President Saddam Hussein of Iraq cited his country’s recent string of battlefield victories and urged Iran to accept an “honorable” peace. Iraq said today it is skeptical of Iran’s action.

Iraq has accepted the U.N resolution, which passed on July 20, 1987.

In Santa Barbara, a spokesman for the vacationing President Reagan said the United States welcomes Iran’s willingness to accept the cease-fire resolution.

But at the same time spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said, “I think we have to be cautious” because U.S. officials are unsure of the precise conditions of Iran’s agreement to U.N. Resolution 598.

“We don’t know what their intentions are,” he said.

U.S. Response Unknown

Fitzwater also refused to say to what extent Iran’s move would lead to a lowering of the American military profile in the Persian Gulf, although he did say the United States has been prepared to terminate tanker escort operations if peace comes to the region.

In a message to U.N. Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar, Iran said it accepts cease-fire Resolution 598 in the “interests of security on the basis of justice,” the official Islamic Republic News Agency said.

In New York, Perez de Cuellar said he had received a letter from Iranian President Ali Khamenei saying Tehran accepted the cease-fire resolution. The secretary general said Iran accepted the resolution unconditionally.

Iran did not say when the cease-fire would go into effect. However, the secretary general said he would begin consultations with Iran and Iraq as early as today to arrange a cease-fire within a week to 10 days.

Iraq responded skeptically to the announcement, saying Iran had accepted the U.N. resolution out of tactical reasons and not a desire for peace.

‘Cautious and Wary’

“Our previous knowledge of the devious Iranian regime makes us be cautious and wary until peace is achieved and until we reach an agreement between Iran and Iraq for peace,” Iraqi Information Minister Latif Jasim said in Baghdad.

In a report monitored in Nicosia, the Iranian news agency said the General Command of the Iranian Armed Forces announced in Tehran that the government was accepting the cease-fire resolution.

“Today new conditions have been created which call for adoption of new stances in order to continue the sacred defense and protect Islam,” IRNA said.

“We once again urge the Iranian people to man the war fronts to confront the enemies’ aggressive nature and foil their criminal acts,” the general command said. “All Muslim combatants deployed on the war fronts are prepared to respond to any aggression and movement of the enemy.”