Iran suspends quadrilateral talks after Trump warning
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Sunday that US President Donald Trump's threats against the Islamic Republic during ongoing technical talks led to the suspension of the quadrilateral meeting between the US, Iran, Qatar, and Pakistan in Switzerland. The talks were part of a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU).
According to Iranian state media IRIB, Baghaei stated that while technical-level discussions progressed, Iran decided not to continue the quadrilateral format following Trump's warning to Tehran of hitting it 'very hard' if the Islamic Republic did not 'immediately stop their highly paid proxies in Lebanon.'
Discussions on oil sales and frozen assets
Baghaei said that issues related to the issuance of licences for Iranian oil sales and the release of frozen Iranian assets were discussed, with what he described as progress on both fronts. 'The issuance of the necessary licenses for the sale of oil and the release of Iranian assets were discussed, and good progress was made,' he said, as quoted by IRIB.
Discussions also included establishing a mechanism to ensure safe maritime passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which Baghaei described as a key point of concern. 'A mechanism was to be established regarding the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which is important,' he added.
Qatar and Pakistan mediation fails
Baghaei explained that Iran had participated in lengthy discussions that began on Sunday morning, but tensions escalated during the quadrilateral meeting. 'During the quadrilateral meeting, the US's threatening statement was published, which caused Iran to announce that it was not willing to continue the quadrilateral meeting under such circumstances,' Baghaei said.
Qatar and Pakistan attempted to keep the talks going in a four-party format, but Iran declined. 'Qatar and Pakistan tried to continue the talks, and we said that it would not be in a quadrilateral format,' he said.
Iranian parliament speaker criticizes Trump
Iranian Parliament Speaker MB Ghalibaf described Trump's remarks as a sign of American 'desperation' and sharply criticized the US President, dismissing the comments as ineffective. In a post on X, Ghalibaf said that Iran would not be intimidated by such threats and asserted that the country's armed forces were prepared to respond if necessary.
His remarks came in response to Trump's post on Truth Social, where he said, 'Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!'
Technical teams to continue work
Baghaei stressed that Iran's position was that accountability for commitments must be ensured, particularly in light of concerns over compliance and alleged ceasefire violations by Israel. He added that discussions also covered the framework for a potential final agreement, including mechanisms for monitoring implementation of obligations under the MoU.
'At this stage, the work of the negotiating team has ended, but the technical teams will continue their work tomorrow,' he said, adding that mediators Qatar and Pakistan would issue a document summarising the agreements reached during the 18-hour session. He further said that oil sales and the release of frozen assets were key preconditions for moving forward toward a final agreement under the memorandum's provisions.
