WNAM REPORT: Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says the United States has an obligation to remove all economic sanctions illegally imposed on Iran under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Tehran and Washington.
“The obligations of the US are clear: Lifting primary, secondary, UN Security Council, and IAEA-related sanctions,” the official said, addressing a weekly press conference on Tuesday.
The comments concerned Clause Seven of the Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding that was recently signed between the two sides.
As part of the provision, all sanctions against Iran must be lifted, with the United States being obliged to remove the Security Council’s coercive measures and to resolve the relevant issues with its own allies.
Baghaei noted an earlier license issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury providing sanctions relief for Iran’s oil, petrochemical, and derivative sectors for a period of 60 days.
“Other sanctions will be discussed over the 60-day period,” he stated.
‘US can’t be excused for continued Israeli aggression against Lebanon’
The spokesperson addressed Iran’s insistence as part of the memorandum on cessation of aggression on all fronts, including Lebanon.
He pointed to a decision made during the first round of talks on the manner of the MoU implementation in Switzerland over Sunday and Monday for the establishment of a “deconfliction cell” to help stabilize ceasefire in Lebanon.
“The agreed mechanism involves the parties, namely the US and Iran, and mediators, while the Lebanese government oversees the implementation of the first clause of the memorandum to prevent military clashes. The details require further work and are a complex issue,” he said.
The official pointed to incessant Israeli violations against Lebanon, asserting, “The cessation of war in Lebanon is an inseparable part of the memorandum of understanding and the ceasefire.”
“The US commitment is completely clear, and no excuse is acceptable,” Baghaei said, pointing to Tehran’s demand from Washington to pressure the Israeli regime to refrain from continuing the violations.
‘Missile, defense capabilities never up for negotiation’
The spokesperson, meanwhile, responded to claims about discussions on Iran’s defensive missile program in Switzerland.
“The issue of Iran’s missiles and defense capabilities has never been part of negotiations and will never be.”
‘No discussion of nuclear details in Switzerland’
On the nuclear issue, Baghaei said the topic did not surface during the Swiss talks and is scheduled to be “examined over a 60-day period.”
However, he noted that the start of negotiations on a formal agreement between Iran and the United States is conditioned upon the implementation of certain provisions of the memorandum, namely cessation of aggression, Iran’s continued sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s ability to sell oil and petrochemicals, and unfreezing of the Islamic Republic’s assets.
“We must see how implementation of the memorandum proceeds.”
‘No IAEA visits to damaged nuclear sites’
Touching again on the nuclear issue, the official asserted that “we have no plans for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect the nuclear facilities damaged throughout American-Israeli aggression.”
“We have neither had any meeting with [IAEA Director-General Rafael] Grossi, nor do we have any plan for the IAEA to inspect nuclear facilities damaged as a result of the aggression. There is no protocol in this regard. We will continue our existing procedures based on the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty).”
US military presence in region
On the status of US forces, Baghaei noted that, as part of the MoU, American forces are required to withdraw from areas surrounding Iran within 30 days after a final agreement.
The United States is also required not to increase its forces in the region during the talks, he added. “We are closely monitoring this.”
Reciprocity in commitments with US
On guarantees and compliance, the spokesman said Iran has used all tools at its disposal to ensure mutual fulfillment of commitments.
“Our counterpart is the US government under the memorandum, and we have stressed [the principle of] ‘commitment for commitment.’ If they do not implement their obligations, they should not expect Iran to act unilaterally.”
‘No quadrilateral meeting after US threats’
Baghaei also addressed Iran’s refusal to continue quadrilateral talks in Switzerland involving the Islamic Republic, mediators Pakistan and Qatar, and the US.
“The quadrilateral meeting lasted an hour and a half and was supposed to continue after a 30-minute break,” he said.
“However, during that interval, we were faced with US threats, and the quadrilateral meeting did not [continue to] take place. The talks continued through mediators. We had no further direct contact with the US. It was deemed appropriate to continue exchanging messages via intermediaries.”
