Tehran: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says the Iranian delegation participating in talks with the United States in Switzerland has conveyed Iran's positions 'clearly and unequivocally.'
According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Baqaei made the remarks early Monday in an exclusive interview with IRNA's correspondent in the Swiss resort of Brgenstock, where Iranian and American delegations, alongside representatives from mediating countries Pakistan and Qatar, held negotiations aimed at reaching a final peace agreement.
The spokesperson, who was part of the Iranian negotiating team, stated that Sunday's session lasted nearly 18 hours and included a quadrilateral meeting that was briefly paused for internal consultations. 'At around 4:30 p.m., the talks briefly paused to allow the delegations to hold internal consultations. Around the same time, media reports emerged about threatening and insulting remarks made by the US president, prompting the Iranian delegation to announce that it would no longer participate in the quadrilateral meeting,' Baqaei said, referring to President Donald Trump's threats against Iran and the Iranian delegation in Switzerland.
Despite the incident, exchanges of messages continued through the mediators, Baqaei said, adding that the Iranian delegation remained determined to use the Swiss talks as an opportunity to ensure that the US side fulfills its commitments under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), which calls for an end to the war against Iran and hostilities on other fronts, including in Lebanon.
The Iranian and US presidents electronically signed the MoU on June 17 following several months of negotiations that began in early April and led to a halt in US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran. The agreement, brokered primarily by Pakistan, provides the framework for further talks between Tehran and Washington in the coming weeks on issues including Iran's nuclear program and the lifting of US sanctions.
Baqaei mentioned that during Sunday's talks in Brgenstock, the US delegation briefly outlined its position on the nuclear issue. 'The Iranian delegation also presented its own position. This was not a negotiation but merely an exchange of positions, with the Islamic Republic of Iran clearly and unequivocally stating its views.'
He further stressed that the time has not yet come to begin negotiations on a final agreement. Under the memorandum of understanding, talks on a final agreement are to begin only after specific provisions of the memorandum have been implemented. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi cautioned the other side against repeating its excessive and unreasonable positions on the nuclear issue and explained the Islamic Republic of Iran's position, emphasizing that negotiations on the nuclear issue have not yet begun.
Baqaei also outlined Iran's position on sanctions and emphasized the importance of this issue. He stated that under the MoU, all US sanctions must be lifted, including unilateral US sanctions, both primary and secondary sanctions, as well as anti-Iran sanctions and resolutions adopted by international bodies, including the Board of Governors.
He concluded by noting that those were the positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran presented during Sunday's session. 'We did not go into any further detail.'