Iran says final nuclear deal conditional on implementation of five points

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stated on Wednesday that negotiations toward a final agreement with the United States are conditional upon the implementation of five specific provisions outlined in the Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed on June 18. Baghaei made the remarks while briefing reporters about a one-day meeting in Switzerland involving the Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

The spokesman said the program includes separate morning meetings between the Iranian delegation and Qatari and Pakistani mediators, followed by a quadrilateral meeting in the afternoon involving representatives of Iran, the United States, Qatar, and Pakistan. He emphasized that Iran began pursuing implementation of the memorandum immediately after its signing, noting that "implementing any document is more important than signing it."

"The diplomatic process to reach an outcome is one issue, but the far more important issue is ensuring implementation," Baghaei stated. He said the Switzerland meeting reflects Iran's determination to demand and follow up on the other side's commitments, adding that Tehran never intended to sign an agreement and assume it would automatically be implemented. "We have absolutely not forgotten previous experiences," he stressed.

According to the spokesman, Article 13 of the memorandum explicitly states that negotiations toward a final agreement are conditional upon implementation of five specified provisions, including the first clause concerning a halt to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon. Baghaei said Tehran believes that provision has not yet been implemented and accused Washington of either being unable or unwilling to ensure compliance, while saying the Israeli regime continues to violate commitments. "This is the main issue in today's discussions," he said.

Baghaei noted that several other provisions also require preparatory measures, particularly the release and accessibility of Iran's blocked assets and the issuance of necessary authorizations for Iranian oil and petrochemical exports. "These were issues from the moment the memorandum was concluded, and now we must see whether those discussions will translate into effective implementation," he said.

The spokesman said Iran has maintained continuous exchanges of messages through mediators in order to verify implementation of the MoU and described the current meeting as part of that process. According to Mehr News, the meeting in Switzerland is focused on monitoring implementation of commitments made under the Islamabad memorandum.