The developments in the matter of the settlement of the war between and , as despite the prevailing uncertainty regarding the same, the two sides appear, as he has also argued for some time, very close to signing it.
In fact, according to a report by Bloomberg, a senior Iranian official hinted overnight that the two sides are close to reaching an agreement to sign a memorandum of understanding, which will act as an intermediate step towards a more comprehensive settlement.
These developments are recorded a few days before the G7 summit, which will take place from June 15 to 17 in France.
Sources with knowledge of the consultations say that Geneva is being considered as a possible place for signing the memorandum even since Sunday, as Donald Trump had supported in his statements. According to Al Arabiya, the proposal to sign on European soil came from Tehran.
However, Iranian officials have so far not officially confirmed their participation, while diplomatic sources note that contacts between the two sides have been slow since the start of the war in February.
Iran’s foreign ministry declined to confirm that an agreement had already been reached. A spokesman for the ministry said that “we have not yet reached a final conclusion on the matter”, acknowledging, however, that steps have been taken towards ending the conflict that has caused turmoil in the Middle East and strong pressure on international energy markets.
Meanwhile, a diplomatic source with knowledge of the talks said Iranian negotiators have already agreed on the plan, although it was unclear whether final approval had been given by Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who reportedly retains the final say on foreign policy and defense matters.
The 14 points of the draft
In the meantime, details about the content of the negotiations were published by the Iranian Mehr News Agency, citing a source close to the Iranian negotiating team.
According to the publication, the draft memorandum of understanding includes 14 points of a political, military and economic nature, with the aim of immediately de-escalating the tension and moving to a final agreement after 60 days of negotiations.
Among other things, the following are provided for:
- An immediate and definitive cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon.
- US commitment not to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs and to respect its national sovereignty.
- Full lifting of the naval blockade within 30 days.
- Commitment to withdrawal of American forces from areas around Iran.
- Reopening of the Straits of Hormuz within 30 days under Iranian management.
- Suspension of sanctions related to oil and petrochemical products.
- Tehran’s full access to frozen funds abroad.
- Provision for an economic reconstruction program for Iran, with an estimated cost of at least $300 billion, which the US and its allies will be asked to present.
- Begin 60-day negotiations to reach a final deal focusing on the nuclear program and the complete lifting of sanctions.
- Reaffirming Iran’s commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
- A commitment that there will be no US military buildup or new sanctions during the talks.
- Release of $24 billion in Iranian funds, half of which before the formal start of negotiations.
- Creation of a supervision mechanism for the implementation of the agreed.
- Ratification of the final agreement through a resolution of the UN Security Council.
The same publication also says that issues such as Iran’s ballistic missile program and support for regional armed groups will not be part of the final negotiations, as they have reportedly been left off the agenda.
Caveats
Despite reports of progress, the content of the draft has not been confirmed by the US side and it remains unclear whether it reflects a commonly agreed negotiating text or the Iranian version of the talks.
Diplomatic sources stress that the talks are still in the framing stage and that critical issues such as the lifting of sanctions, the presence of foreign military forces in the region and the future of Iran’s nuclear program remain open and subject to negotiation. In this context, it is of particular importance that the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported that, based on the draft framework agreement with the United States that aims to end the war in the Middle East, Tehran is not going to relinquish control of the strategically important Straits of Hormuz.
“Iran does not make any commitment in this text to cede management of the straits or to restore the conditions that existed before the US and Israeli military attack,” according to IRNA, which described “the broad outlines of the existing text” headed for finalization.
IRNA also reported that under the draft framework agreement, the issue of Iran’s nuclear program would be addressed during the 60 days of negotiations between Tehran and Washington, with Tehran insisting on its “right” to enrichment.
“Iran will negotiate its nuclear program solely within the framework of the fundamental principles of the Islamic Republic, and issues such as Iran’s right to enrich uranium and retain enriched materials will be pushed to be included in the final agreement,” IRNA reported.
