Iran announced on Sunday that its technical-level discussions with the United States in Switzerland will primarily address ongoing tensions in Lebanon, violations of the truce by Israel, and the release of frozen Iranian financial assets. These issues are set to dominate the agenda amid regional security concerns.
In a significant development, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian strongly endorsed the preliminary peace framework brokered by Islamabad earlier this week. He emphasized that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) substantially protects Iran’s national interests, marking a diplomatic success for Tehran.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei expressed serious apprehensions about the precarious security situation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. He stated that Israel’s continuous breaches of its commitments in Lebanon will be the focal point of the discussions, underscoring Iran’s priority of regional de-escalation during the Swiss summit.
Beyond the Lebanon crisis, Baghaei highlighted that the negotiations will also focus on the repatriation of Iranian financial assets frozen abroad and the removal of obstacles to oil exports. Tehran demands immediate access to these overseas funds and the issuance of necessary permits to resume normalized oil sales, aiming to stabilize its domestic economy.
In a separate statement, President Pezeshkian elaborated on the interim agreement, describing it as a major diplomatic achievement for Iran. He assured that the outcomes of the negotiations will soon be evident to the public, demonstrating Iran’s firm defense of its national interests.
Under the signed framework, $6 billion of Iranian funds currently frozen in Qatar will be fully released to Tehran. Pezeshkian pointed to the changing geopolitical environment, noting that US President Donald Trump, who had previously led the “maximum pressure” sanctions against Iran, is now overseeing a process that acknowledges these financial and economic concessions as legitimate rights of the Iranian people.
Notably, Pezeshkian criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has consistently opposed diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran. He remarked that Netanyahu is the individual most dissatisfied with the ongoing negotiations in Switzerland.
Addressing the core security concerns of the United States, Pezeshkian reaffirmed that the primary US condition for the agreement is a verified commitment from Iran not to pursue nuclear weapons. He stressed that this stance is consistent with Iran’s longstanding policy.
“Iran has never intended to develop an atomic bomb,” Pezeshkian stated, referencing the binding religious decree (fatwa) issued by the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which explicitly prohibits the production, stockpiling, and use of weapons of mass destruction as incompatible with Islamic principles.
Pezeshkian, the US delegation requested that Iran’s position be formally documented, after which both parties signed the implementation document currently being finalized by technical teams in Bürgenstock, Switzerland.
