Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has said that Iran will not enter negotiations with the United States on a final agreement until the conditions outlined in a recently signed peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) have been fulfilled, the 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Wednesday.
According to international media reports, Qalibaf, who also heads Iran’s negotiating team, made the remarks during an interview with state-run IRIB television on Tuesday while discussing the latest developments regarding the implementation of the agreement and ongoing contacts with Washington.
Speaking about recent diplomatic engagements, Qalibaf said the purpose of current meetings was to ensure that commitments made under the memorandum were fully implemented before further progress could be made. He stressed that Iran would not participate in additional negotiations until the agreed provisions were carried out.
He said Iran’s recent visit to Switzerland focused on advancing several key elements of the agreement, including efforts to end conflicts across the region, lift the United States naval blockade, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, secure waivers for Iranian crude oil exports and facilitate the release of frozen Iranian assets.
Qalibaf said implementation of the remaining provisions of the memorandum would not begin until these five preliminary commitments had been fulfilled. He described them as essential confidence-building measures required before moving to the next stage of the process.
The Iranian speaker also revealed that Iran, the United States and Lebanon had agreed to establish a joint committee to monitor the ceasefire, oversee the end of hostilities in Lebanon and safeguard Lebanese sovereignty. He added that Iran and the United States had already appointed their representatives to the body.
Addressing the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, Qalibaf said permission for vessels to pass through the strategic waterway without additional charges would remain in place for only 60 days. He emphasised that Iran would never compromise on what it regards as its legitimate rights in the strait.
While reiterating Tehran’s commitment to diplomacy, Qalibaf said Iran would continue to pursue dialogue but would also respond with force whenever it considered such action necessary.
Iran and the United States signed the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending regional hostilities on 18 June. Technical negotiations between the two countries began in Switzerland on 22 June following high-level consultations between Iranian and American delegations, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar a day earlier.