Iran says final nuclear deal talks impossible without Lebanon ceasefire

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Sunday that full implementation of ceasefire measures on all fronts, including Lebanon, is an indispensable precondition for entering final negotiations with the United States.

Baghaei made the remarks on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, saying Iran "has a firm resolve to track the counterpart's — the United States' — fulfillment of its commitments very closely and seriously."

He said the meeting in Switzerland on Sunday was intended to review implementation of the ceasefire memorandum of understanding signed June 18. He added that under Article 13 of the MOU, the start of negotiations toward a final agreement depends on whether Articles 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11 have been implemented. "Without the implementation of these articles — particularly Article 1, which calls for an end to the war on all fronts including Lebanon — it is impossible to enter the stage of negotiations for a final agreement," he said.

Baghaei said Sunday's discussions would focus on implementation of the articles cited, with Article 1 as the top priority. He added that the meeting would also review planned measures for implementing Article 10, which concerns Iranian oil exports, and Article 11, which covers the release of frozen Iranian assets — signaling that Iran intends to press Washington for concrete economic reciprocity.