Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Esmaeil Baqaei explained that final negotiations with the US are contingent on the implementation of five specified clauses of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.
Commenting on the negotiation process, Baqaei said a trip to Switzerland that had been planned for Friday was canceled after the presidents of Iran and the US digitally signed the memorandum of understanding, making the visit no longer urgently necessary.
He explained that under Article 13 of the memorandum, the launch of negotiations toward a final agreement is conditional on the commencement and continued implementation of the other side’s commitments under Articles 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11.
Baqaei said the upcoming trip to Switzerland is intended to pursue accountability and follow up on the implementation of the other side’s obligations, stressing that “the main criterion for evaluating any agreement is its implementation phase.”
“This condition has not yet been fulfilled due to the other side’s failure to comply,” he stated, adding that the purpose of the visit is specifically to clarify how those commitments will be carried out.
The spokesman further said that Article 1 of the memorandum — namely “ending the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon” — constitutes the most important pillar of reciprocal commitments.
He emphasized that while Iran has fulfilled its obligations, the other side was required to compel the Zionist regime to cease fire in Lebanon but failed to do so, thereby explicitly violating the understanding.
The Iranian spokesman noted that although some steps have been taken regarding ending the maritime blockade and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the memorandum remains “a single package.”
“A violation of Article 1 calls the entire agreement into question,” Baqaei said, warning that unless the other side immediately adopts the necessary measures, the memorandum as a whole will face serious difficulties.
He said Iran reached the memorandum after several weeks of highly intensive negotiations, exhausting diplomacy through the efforts of international mediators, demonstrating Tehran’s goodwill, and, most importantly, relying on the manifestation of field power and national unity.
“We have not signed a commitment that would become ineffective from the outset or lack implementation guarantees,” he said, adding that Iran will spare no effort to operationalize every clause of the document.
Baqaei stressed that the governing logic of Iran’s foreign policy is clear, namely “commitment for commitment and action for action,” adding that the sustainability of the agreement depends on the behavior of the other side.
He warned that if the adversary refuses to fulfill its stated obligations or obstructs implementation, the Islamic Republic of Iran will rely on its strategic capabilities and adopt reciprocal, decisive, and regret-inducing measures.