BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 23. Iran considers the Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed with the United States a precondition for opening negotiations toward a final agreement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said at a press conference in Tehran on Monday.
"Tehran regards the Islamabad memorandum — and specifically articles 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11 — as a precondition for talks aimed at reaching a final agreement. These articles are of great importance. At the same time, all provisions of the memorandum must be implemented," Baghaei said.
He said technical discussions continued on Sunday under the leadership of Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs. Four working groups have been set up to monitor implementation across the different areas covered by the memorandum.
"A high-level oversight committee has been formed, comprising representatives of Iran, the United States, and the two mediating countries, Qatar and Pakistan. Working groups at a lower level will also convene in the coming days as needed," Baghaei said.
He outlined two specific commitments under the memorandum. The first requires the United States to withdraw its military forces from the region surrounding Iran within 30 days of a final agreement being reached, as set out in article 4, with the details to be discussed during negotiations. The second requires the US not to increase the size of its current military presence in the region during the negotiation period. Iran is closely monitoring compliance with both commitments, Baghaei said.
The first round of talks between Iran and the United States, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, took place on June 21.
The memorandum was signed on June 18 by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump and entered into force on June 19. It followed a conflict that began on February 28, when the US and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran after talks on Tehran's nuclear program failed to produce concrete results. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes on Israeli and US targets in the region. A ceasefire brokered by Pakistan was reached on April 7.
