Iran’s Qalibaf: Implementing US memorandum ‘difficult but possible’

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.

Regional allies and Lebanon clause

Qalibaf said diplomacy and negotiations should be able to resolve military deadlocks while preserving and consolidating what he described as the achievements of resistance forces. 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.

Context and funeral ceremonies

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. Qalibaf’s remarks come as funeral ceremonies for Khamenei continue in Tehran and across the region.