Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who headed negotiations with Washington, said on Sunday that implementing the memorandum of understanding with the US is “difficult but possible,” stressing diplomacy must preserve battlefield gains.
Qalibaf made the remarks at a meeting with Mohammed Darwish, head of Hamas’ Leadership Council, on the sidelines of farewell ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, according to Iranian Students News Agency.
He said diplomacy and negotiations should be able to resolve military deadlocks while preserving and consolidating what he described as the achievements of resistance forces.
“This can only happen when the country remains fully prepared for defense alongside diplomacy,” Qalibaf said.
Referring to the memorandum with Washington, he said negotiations reached a suspension point the night Israel launched strikes on Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh.
Qalibaf said Tehran insisted to the US side that preserving the territorial integrity of regional countries and ending war against regional allies in the resistance front be included in the agreement.
“That clause was added to the text. Today, the memorandum is being implemented. Its implementation is difficult, but possible,” he said.
The memorandum, brokered in Islamabad after nearly three weeks of war between Iran and the US-Israeli alliance, laid out a phased framework for ending hostilities, restoring maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and halting military operations across multiple fronts, including Lebanon.
The funeral ceremonies officially began Friday, with foreign leaders and official delegations from across the region and beyond paying tribute to the late Iranian supreme leader.
According to the official schedule, public farewell ceremonies will be followed by the main funeral procession in Tehran on Monday.
The funeral rites will then move to Qom on July 7.
On July 8, ceremonies are scheduled in Iraq, including in Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala, where the body will be received by religious and political figures before being transferred to major Shia shrines.
The final funeral and burial ceremony is scheduled for July 9 at the Imam Reza Shrine, one of Shia Islam’s holiest sites.
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