BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 23. Iran considers the
Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed with the United States
a precondition for opening negotiations toward a final agreement,
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said at a press
conference in Tehran on Monday.


"Tehran regards the Islamabad memorandum — and specifically
articles 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11 — as a precondition for talks aimed at
reaching a final agreement. These articles are of great importance.
At the same time, all provisions of the memorandum must be
implemented," Baghaei said.


He said technical discussions continued on Sunday under the
leadership of Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for
Legal and International Affairs. Four working groups have been set
up to monitor implementation across the different areas covered by
the memorandum.


"A high-level oversight committee has been formed, comprising
representatives of Iran, the United States, and the two mediating
countries, Qatar and Pakistan. Working groups at a lower level will
also convene in the coming days as needed," Baghaei said.


He outlined two specific commitments under the memorandum. The
first requires the United States to withdraw its military forces
from the region surrounding Iran within 30 days of a final
agreement being reached, as set out in article 4, with the details
to be discussed during negotiations. The second requires the US not
to increase the size of its current military presence in the region
during the negotiation period. Iran is closely monitoring
compliance with both commitments, Baghaei said.


The first round of talks between Iran and the United States,
mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, took place on June 21.


The memorandum was signed on June 18 by Iranian President Masoud
Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump and entered into force on
June 19. It followed a conflict that began on February 28, when the
US and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran after talks on
Tehran's nuclear program failed to produce concrete results. Iran
responded with missile and drone strikes on Israeli and US targets
in the region. A ceasefire brokered by Pakistan was reached on
April 7.