Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and parliamentary speaker have issued coordinated warnings that any American deviation from the newly signed 14-point memorandum of understanding will be met with a pre-determined reciprocal strike. The statements, carried by Iranian state media on 19 June, came hours after the planned inaugural technical negotiations in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, were cancelled and the US vice-president confirmed he would not travel.

According to the SNSC secretariat, Tehran will act with “complete mistrust of the oath-breaking and promise-breaking enemy” and has prepared a specific retaliatory plan for any violation. Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, designated as Iran’s chief negotiator, wrote on social media that bad faith, breach of contract or “excessive demands” by Washington would trigger a “crushing response”. He added that the United States had already “been slapped once in the war” and would receive “an even harder slap” if it chose the path of military conflict again. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who confirmed he had authorised the deal, separately cautioned that Iran’s readiness to negotiate should not be interpreted as acceptance of American hegemony and that no additional concessions would be made during the 60-day process.

Viewed from Washington, the posture is equally uncompromising. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth warned that the United States would resume military operations and reimpose the naval blockade if Iran failed to fulfil its obligations. The White House said it was eager to begin technical talks, but acknowledged that plans were not yet agreed and that Vice President JD Vance would not attend the Friday session. The Swiss foreign ministry confirmed the cancellation, leaving the two sides without a scheduled first working-level meeting.

The memorandum, referred to as the Islamabad MoU, was signed electronically by Presidents Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian on 17 June and took effect immediately. It halted military action on all fronts including Lebanon, opened the Strait of Hormuz, and lifted the US maritime blockade on Iranian ports. The text mandates a 60-day negotiation period—starting 18 June and expiring on 17 August—to reach a comprehensive agreement covering Iran’s nuclear programme, ballistic missiles, sanctions relief and regional security arrangements. European diplomatic sources note that the cancellation of the first technical session underlines the fragility of a process in which both capitals are publicly conditioning progress on the other’s good faith, while the memory of Washington’s 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal feeds Iranian mistrust.

The 60-day clock is now running without a confirmed date for technical negotiations. Both governments have stated their commitment to the framework while maintaining threat postures. The immediate test is whether the de-escalation measures—particularly the free transit of Iranian oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz—hold, and whether a first working-level meeting can be convened in the coming days.