Iran Says Cooperation with IAEA Continues Under Existing Framework

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei. (Source: IRNA)

JAKARTA - Iranian officials on Monday said cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would continue under the existing framework and in accordance with the decisions of the parliament and the Supreme National Security Council.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran "has not made any new commitments to any party" regarding cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, according to state television station IRIB, quoted by Anadolu (23/6).

Baghaei said sources who were aware of the information from the 18-hour talks with the United States in Switzerland on Sunday confirmed that no negotiations were conducted on Iran's nuclear issue and no new commitments were made.

He said that any future nuclear negotiations based on the 14-Point Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding would depend on the implementation of Article 13 of the agreement.

Article 13 of the memorandum of understanding is understood as the main prerequisite for starting formal talks on nuclear-related issues, although the exact provisions have not been made public.

Baghaei previously said that talks in Switzerland focused on unresolved provisions in the Islamabad memorandum, in particular ending the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and the release of frozen Iranian assets.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday morning, negotiations with the US in Switzerland facilitated by Pakistan and Qatar had produced "significant progress" towards ending the war in Lebanon and reducing pressure on the Iranian economy.