Khaberni - After the stumbling start of the first round of American-Iranian negotiations on its scheduled time last Friday in Switzerland, diplomatic movements are still ongoing to resume the dialogue between the two parties to resolve their disputes, aiming for a lasting and definitive peace agreement based on the memorandum of understanding signed between them.
While everyone was anticipating the start of the meeting at the Burgenstock mountain resort in Switzerland, indicators of a stalled process appeared since Thursday evening.
What’s new?
According to Axios, a U.S. official mentioned that Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of President Donald Trump, would head to Switzerland to conduct the first round of nuclear agreement negotiations with Iran.
The site noted that Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, is already in Switzerland, while an informed source told Axios that Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is planning to travel to Switzerland, although this step is still subject to change.
The source reported that Araghchi had informed several counterparts that the ceasefire in Lebanon is a critical issue for Tehran, highlighting that Tehran insists on seeing the ceasefire come into effect before heading to Switzerland.
The preparations continue
Earlier, the Swiss Foreign Ministry announced the cancellation of the talks scheduled for last Friday, noting that it is still ready to facilitate these negotiations.
The ministry confirmed that the related preparatory work in Burgenstock is ongoing, without specifying a new date for the commencement of the meeting between the two sides.
Why were the talks postponed?
The Lebanese file tops the reasons for the disruption of the American-Iranian negotiations in Switzerland, with Axios stating that the talks were postponed due to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
It mentioned that Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani – a key mediator between the United States and Iran – arrived in Switzerland early on Friday.
In this context, CNN reported from sources that Iran had requested guarantees regarding the cessation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon before starting the negotiations with the United States in Switzerland.
These Iranian conditions stem from the memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran which stipulates the ending of warfare on all fronts, including Lebanon. However, the United States remains in disagreements with Israel regarding the Lebanese file, as Tel Aviv continues its military attacks on Lebanon.
Iranian officials occupied
Elsewhere, Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammed Ishaq Dar attributed the non-commencement of the Swiss negotiations to Iranian officials being engaged with the rituals of Muharram.
He denied any obstacles to starting the negotiations, emphasizing the necessity to complete them between Washington and Tehran within 60 days, as stipulated by the signed memorandum of understanding.
Trump: Israel will do as I say
Amid increasing tensions between the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and officials from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, on the backdrop of Washington signing the memorandum of understanding with Tehran; Trump - in recent statements - said that “Israel has a lot of respect for him and will do as he says”.
In an interview with Axios, Trump criticized Netanyahu, however, he described his relationship with him as good, adding "but we have to keep him a bit sane".
Trump said "had I not intervened, Israel would have been crushed", as he comes with warnings from American intelligence agencies to his administration that Netanyahu might take steps that could undermine efforts to achieve a lasting peace agreement with Iran, given his determination to continue attacks in Lebanon.
In other statements, Trump reiterated his threats to Iran, emphasizing that if the United States does not reach an agreement with Iran, Washington will "do things that won’t make them happy", hinting at reverting to a military option.
As usual in his contradictory statements, Trump added: "But I don’t think we are going to do that".
What did Iran say?
Despite the postponement of the meeting scheduled for Friday, Iran affirmed that it plans to hold a meeting in the coming days to negotiate with the American side.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baqaei mentioned that his country is not in a hurry to hold the meeting after signing the memorandum of understanding with the United States, stating that the progress of the negotiations related to the American-Iranian agreement depends on compliance with the terms of the memorandum of understanding.
He revealed that consultations regarding the next phase of the negotiations for drafting the final agreement between Tehran and Washington are being conducted through mediators, and that details will be announced if conditions are conducive to starting the negotiations. The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi - in a phone call on Friday with his Pakistani counterpart Mohammed Ishaq Dar - held Washington responsible for ending the war on all fronts including Lebanon.
Araghchi warned of the consequences of any violation of the commitments under the memorandum of understanding signed last Wednesday between Washington and Tehran, while his deputy Saeed Khatibzadeh told Al Jazeera that Tehran is preparing for important negotiations, pointing out that the memorandum of understanding stipulates the immediate implementation of five provisions.
Mohsen Rezaee, a member of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, stated that the text of the agreement must be legally and technically precise, fully in line with Iran’s demands, as reported by Iranian TV.
He explained that Iran has requested the withdrawal of American forces from around Iran within 30 days of the final agreement, but Washington might say that "the term 'your surroundings' only covers a 12-mile radius from our coastal waters", emphasizing that this is unacceptable to Iran.
