Despite announcing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran said Saturday it is sending a delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Switzerland for talks with the US over the memorandum of understanding and its implementation. A foreign ministry spokesman said Tehran will focus on demanding the other side meet its commitments and clarify how it intends to fulfill them, warning that failure would jeopardize the entire memorandum.
Iran announced Saturday it will send a delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Switzerland for talks with the United States, even as Tehran's earlier announcement of closing the Strait of Hormuz remains in effect. The talks will focus on the memorandum of understanding (MoU) and its implementation, according to an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman.
The spokesman stated that Tehran will 'focus on demanding the other side be responsible to meet its commitments, and clarify exactly how it intends to meet them.' He warned that if any part of the commitments is not fulfilled, 'the entire MoU will be in trouble.'
The announcement follows a series of contradictory signals from Tehran. As The Zioneer reported on Saturday morning, Araghchi was already considering a trip to Switzerland for nuclear talks, but Iran had conditioned progress on a ceasefire in Lebanon. Later on Friday, Iran froze talks and threatened a Hormuz closure — which it then announced. Now, despite the closure statement, Iran is signaling it is keeping the diplomatic door open.
The Swiss meeting would be the first direct talks since the sides signed a memorandum of understanding in Islamabad. It remains unclear when the delegation will travel, or whether the Lebanese ceasefire precondition still applies.
4 developments
- StrongIran indefinitely postpones Switzerland talks; 'later date' said
- DevelopingAnalyst: international pressure on Israel mounts over Lebanon strikes; Iran demands halt before talks
- StrongIran says oil sanctions lifting begins, warns US over Israeli strikes in Lebanon; Friday talks in Switzerland not final
- StrongAmichai Stein: US-Iran talks now test Israel's Lebanon war scope
Source and signal
- Internal intake