BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the United States must return to the Islamabad MoU, while Pakistan urged both sides to sincerely implement the June agreement.
Araghchi said after Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meetings in Bishkek that the memorandum had featured in his diplomatic discussions. He accused Washington of violating the agreement and said renewed US compliance could put diplomacy back on track.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar delivered a broader appeal during his September 1 meeting with Araghchi. Pakistan’s Foreign Office said Dar called “sincere implementation by both parties” the only way forward and stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy.
The Islamabad MoU was signed on June 17, 2026, after Pakistan helped facilitate negotiations between Iran and the United States. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry later hosted follow-up implementation talks in Switzerland involving Iran, the US and Qatar.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reinforced Tehran’s position during the SCO summit. He said Iran would immediately reciprocate if Washington returned to its commitments under the memorandum.
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The agreement was designed as an interim framework to reduce hostilities and open further negotiations. However, renewed fighting later weakened the arrangement, with Washington and Tehran accusing each other of violations.
Pakistan has continued trying to revive the framework. Dar’s statement in Bishkek placed Islamabad’s position between the two sides by calling for compliance from both Washington and Tehran rather than assigning the obligation to a single party.
