Tehran: Iran says diplomatic efforts and international mediation are continuing to address outstanding issues and restore the implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding with the United States (US).
Iranian Interior Ministry spokesperson Ali Zeynivand said that efforts were underway to resolve the issues and return to the Islamabad agreement. His remarks were reported by Iran's semi official Tasnim news agency and cited by Al Jazeera.
Zeynivand said Iran expected “the other party” to fulfil its commitments under the agreement. He described the MoU as an official decision of the Iranian system, saying it had been approved by the Supreme National Security Council and confirmed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He also pointed to continued diplomatic contacts and consultations, including President Masoud Pezeshkian's participation in international meetings.
The latest statement does not indicate that the United States and Iran have reached a new agreement. Rather, it reflects Tehran's stated position that the Islamabad MoU remains a framework that can be returned to if outstanding issues are addressed.
The MoU was signed in June through a mediation process involving Pakistan and Qatar. It provided a framework for ending military operations and moving towards further negotiations, with subsequent talks in Switzerland establishing mechanisms for discussions on nuclear issues, sanctions, monitoring and dispute resolution.
Implementation, however, has faced difficulties. Pakistan's Foreign Office said in July that implementation of the MoU was facing challenges, while continuing to call for the parties to resume technical level talks under the agreement.
Pakistan has continued to support the framework. On September 15, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi agreed that implementation of the Islamabad MoU remained an important route towards defusing tensions.
China has also recently called on Iran and the United States to exercise restraint, return to the interim agreement reached in June and resume substantive consultations. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the appeal during talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on September 16.
The latest Iranian comments therefore point to continued diplomatic activity rather than a completed breakthrough. Tehran is calling for the other side to meet its commitments, while Pakistan and other mediators continue to encourage a return to the negotiating framework.
For Pakistan, the development keeps the Islamabad MoU relevant as Islamabad seeks to maintain its mediation role between Washington and Tehran and support efforts to reduce the wider regional confrontation.
