Despite Iran's earlier announcement of closing the Strait of Hormuz, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday it is sending a delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf to Switzerland for talks with the US on the memorandum of understanding. A ministry spokesman stated the focus will be on demanding the other side honor its commitments, warning that failure to implement any clause would put the entire MOU in jeopardy.
Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed Saturday evening that despite its earlier announcement regarding the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran is keeping diplomatic channels open and is sending a high-level delegation to Switzerland for talks with the United States. The delegation will be led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who also heads Iran's negotiating team, as The Zioneer reported earlier on Saturday (SAME-THREAD context). The talks are expected to focus on implementing the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries, which has been at the center of a volatile back-and-forth in recent days.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the Iranian delegation will 'demand the other side be responsible and uphold its commitments, and clarify exactly how it intends to do so.' He added that if any part of the commitments is not fulfilled, 'the entire memorandum of understanding will be in trouble.' The statement comes after days of mixed signals from Tehran — including threats to freeze talks, condition progress on a Lebanon ceasefire, and close the Strait of Hormuz — which preceded earlier reports of a finalized deal.
This diplomatic move follows a series of conflicting announcements: on Thursday, senior Iranian officials declared the MOU final and demanded payment for Hormuz passage, while by Friday the talks were reported frozen and linked to events in Lebanon. The decision to send Qalibaf, a former IRGC commander and political heavyweight, signals that while Iran is maintaining a hard line rhetorically, it is not abandoning the negotiating track. What remains unverified is whether the US delegation, reportedly led by Vice President Vance, will attend, and whether the Hormuz closure threat will be rescinded.
2 developments
- StrongIran names parliament speaker Qalibaf to lead delegation for Friday MOU signing in Switzerland
- StrongIran says final agreement talks to start in coming days, Hormuz closure denied
- DevelopingIranian officials declare MOU with US final, demand payment for Strait of Hormuz passage
- DevelopingIranian parliament speaker Ghalibaf: Strait of Hormuz will not return to pre-war status
Source and signal
- Internal intake