Iran says US deal path depends on Israel observing terms
Saeed Khatibzadeh said Tehran remains willing to pursue talks with Washington after planned Switzerland meetings were called off.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Iran’s deputy foreign minister said Tehran is prepared to continue diplomacy with Washington if the United States honors a new memorandum of understanding and ensures Israel follows its terms. The comments came as planned US-Iran talks in Switzerland were called off, raising questions about whether the agreement can proceed amid fighting in Lebanon.
Saeed Khatibzadeh told Al Jazeera Arabic on Friday that Iran was willing to proceed in stages if Washington showed matching seriousness. He said Tehran wanted the diplomatic process to continue, but tied that path to US respect for the memorandum and Israeli compliance with it.
The planned talks had been expected to take place in Burgenstock, Switzerland, according to officials cited by Al Jazeera, including mediators Pakistan and Qatar. Those officials had said the meeting would begin negotiations on issues laid out in the memorandum signed by the United States and Iran this week.
US Vice President JD Vance also cancelled a planned trip to Switzerland, Al Jazeera reported. Reports cited by the network said the talks may have been cancelled after heavy fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Friday.
Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli attacks had killed at least 47 people since midnight, according to Al Jazeera. Khatibzadeh condemned the latest Israeli strikes in Lebanon and said Israel’s continued military action would bring serious and immediate consequences.
Khatibzadeh said Iran was seeking peace across all fronts, including Gaza. He told Al Jazeera that Lebanon was included in the memorandum because of its direct link to the conflict.
Article 1 of the memorandum says ending the war in Lebanon is part of the wider ceasefire arrangement across all fronts, according to Al Jazeera. Khatibzadeh added that Lebanon and the wider region would not see stability without an end to occupation and Israeli adherence to international law.
Hormuz and frozen funds
Khatibzadeh also addressed the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran would keep providing maritime services in coordination with Oman and in line with international law. He said Tehran would not charge passage fees during the 60-day period set out in the agreement.
After that period, Khatibzadeh said, Iran plans to introduce a new system for managing the waterway and present it to regional countries. He also said any future agreement must include the release of all frozen Iranian funds.
Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said Friday that consultations related to the US deal were continuing through mediators. He said an official announcement would be made if the conditions for starting negotiations were met.
The Lebanon ceasefire remains a central condition for further US-Iran talks, according to Al Jazeera. A Hezbollah official told the network the ceasefire would hold if Israel complied with it.
Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, said on X that Israel was committed to an immediate ceasefire. He said Hezbollah would be met with quiet if it honored the agreement and stopped hostilities.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.