Iran says new meeting with US being planned for ‘coming days’

Tehran: Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that a scheduled meeting between Iranian and US delegations in Switzerland has been postponed, and planning is underway for another one in the coming days.

Speaking to reporters, Baghaei explained that consultations for the next phase of talks are ongoing through mediators, and a new date will be announced once conditions are set, according to a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

He noted that under the recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States, the start of negotiations depends on the implementation of those provisions, including an end to the war and military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, the removal of US naval blockade, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz for vessel passage free of charge for 60 days, US issuance of waivers for Iran’s exports of crude oil, petroleum products and derivatives, and the release of Iranian frozen assets, Xinhua news agency reported.

Baghaei said that Friday’s meeting was originally intended for signing the MoU and discussing arrangements for talks on the final agreement. However, it became “non-urgent,” he explained, after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his US counterpart Donald Trump electronically signed the document early Thursday.

Baghaei denied reports that Iran had invited the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect its nuclear facilities, saying that under the MoU, negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program are scheduled to take place within 60 days, provided prerequisites are met.

He said that under the MoU, Iran will maintain its current nuclear status quo, limiting IAEA inspections to facilities like the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. Access to sites previously denied due to the US and Israeli attacks will hinge on the negotiation process and its outcome, he added.

Iran, the United States, and Pakistan early Monday announced the finalisation of the MoU on ending the war in the region on all fronts, including Lebanon, following weeks of negotiations.

On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, barring passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States.

IANS