The Iranian delegation --named “Minab 168” in remembrance of the children martyred in a US-Israeli strike on an elementary school in Iran’s southern city of Minab on February 28—arrived in Zurich in the early hours of Sunday, June 21.
Led by Qalibaf, the delegation includes Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, Spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry Esmaeil Baqaei, deputy of secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Baqeri, Governor of Central Bank of Iran Abdolnasser Hemmati, a deputy oil minister, and a number of other officials.
In a post on his X account upon arrival in Switzerland, Qalibaf wrote that he believes that all activities of the Iranian delegation are being observed by the innocent schoolchildren of Minab and the martyrs of Iran.
Initial talks between Iran and the United States were planned at the Buergenstock mountaintop resort in Switzerland on Friday, following the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington.
In comments on Saturday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said final negotiations with the US remain conditional upon the implementation of five provisions of the memorandum of understanding, stressing that the MoU’s durability depends entirely on the other side’s conduct.
Baqaei said a trip to Switzerland that had been planned for Friday was canceled after the presidents of Iran and the US digitally signed the memorandum of understanding, making the visit no longer urgently necessary.
The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States was signed in the first minutes of June 18, 2026, by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump through a simultaneous digital process without an in-person ceremony.
Iranian officials described the document as a political framework designed to end the imposed US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran and create a pathway toward a comprehensive final agreement. The memorandum was finalized after weeks of negotiations and signed in both Persian and English.
The agreement’s first article provides for the immediate and permanent termination of military operations between Iran, the US, and their respective allies across all fronts, including Lebanon, and commits the parties to refrain from future military action or threats of force. The memorandum also stresses respect for Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, while negotiations on a final agreement are scheduled to conclude within a maximum period of 60 days and are expected to culminate in a binding United Nations Security Council resolution.
The memorandum establishes a phased economic and maritime mechanism under which Washington undertook to begin lifting restrictions affecting Iran, including measures related to oil exports, banking transactions, insurance, transportation, access to frozen assets, and the removal of the naval blockade according to agreed timelines. In parallel, Iran committed to facilitating secure commercial navigation through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and to coordinating future maritime arrangements with Oman and other regional littoral states in accordance with international law.
On the nuclear issue, the memorandum reaffirms Iran’s stated position against pursuing nuclear weapons while opening a negotiation track on enrichment, sanctions relief, and arrangements concerning enriched materials under a mutually agreed mechanism and International Atomic Energy Agency supervision. Pending the final agreement, Iran is to maintain the current status of its nuclear program, while the US is to refrain from imposing new sanctions or deploying additional military forces in the region.
