Iran refuses US talks until key MoU provisions implemented, says top negotiator

Iran says it will not resume talks with the United States unless key provisions of a recently signed memorandum of understanding are implemented, Tehran’s top negotiator has warned.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who leads Iran’s negotiating team, told state TV IRIB that Iran’s negotiators visited Switzerland to press for activation of specific MoU measures intended to end hostilities across the region. He said Iran will not enter negotiations on a final agreement unless five preliminary paragraphs are fulfilled: ending the war on all fronts including in Lebanon; lifting the US naval blockade; reopening the Strait of Hormuz; granting US waivers for Iranian crude exports; and releasing frozen Iranian assets, Xinhua reported.

Qalibaf added that Iran, the United States and Lebanon have agreed to establish a joint committee to enforce a ceasefire, secure the end of fighting in Lebanon and protect Lebanese sovereignty, and that Iran and the US have already named their representatives to the panel.

Iran both pursues the path of dialogue and responds with force wherever necessary, he said.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said ahead of planned talks in Doha that Iran has agreed not to seek a nuclear weapon and expressed confidence that diplomatic and military pressure had strengthened the US position. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said US officials were travelling to Qatar for discussions and described the Doha meeting as potentially important.

The MoU to end regional hostilities was signed on June 18. Technical talks between Iranian and US delegations began in Switzerland on June 22 after high-level consultations mediated by Pakistan and Qatar.

(Inputs from IANS)