Iran’s Deputy FM announces successful completion of technical negotiations

Iran’s deputy foreign minister and head of the technical negotiating team, Kazem Gharibabadi, has said that four-country technical talks have been completed successfully, and the plan for the next phase of high-level negotiations has been finalized.

He said that after the high-level committee meeting on Sunday regarding the implementation of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding (MoU), detailed technical discussions were held into Monday morning. These talks focused on setting up the practical system to implement the MoU and the final statement issued after the high-level session.

According to him, all sides reached agreement on key matters during these discussions.

“Based on the understandings reached, the upcoming negotiations will take place under the supervision of the high-level committee, with the participation of the speaker of the Majlis, the foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the vice president of the United States, and the prime ministers of Pakistan and Qatar,” Gharibabadi said.

He added that four working groups have been formed: the Sanctions Termination Working Group, the Nuclear Working Group, the Reconstruction and Economic Development Working Group, and the Monitoring and Implementation Working Group.

He also said that the countries agreed to create a contact point system under the MoU to ensure safe and secure movement of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

A separate de-escalation and conflict-prevention unit has also been set up for Lebanon, involving member states along with Pakistan and Qatar.

The technical teams from the four countries will supervise these groups, guide their work, and report back to the high-level committee.

Gharibabadi also pointed out some economic progress made during the talks. He said Iran’s efforts led to a US general license allowing the sale of Iranian crude oil, petrochemicals, petroleum products, and related services. This license has been published on the OFAC website.

He further said that an agreement has been reached to release $12 billion of frozen Iranian assets in two installments of $6 billion each, and this process will start immediately.

He described these developments as a success of Iran’s diplomacy, saying that despite years of US sanctions, Iran has managed to protect its rights, gain economic relief, and support regional stability through cooperation.