The memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington officially entered into force, after it was signed electronically by the presidents of United States and Iran, according to what the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday night.
According to the Iranian News Agency, the Iranian and American presidents signed the memorandum of understanding electronically from a distance, with a short time interval between the two signatures.
The correspondent of the American Axios website mentioned that US President Donald Trump personally signed a copy of the agreement during a dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Versailles Palace, and a picture of the signed agreement was sent to the Iranians and the mediating countries, and that the memorandum entered into force.
The document includes clauses related to stopping military operations, lifting the naval blockade on Iran, American sanctions, the Iranian nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz, frozen Iranian funds, and a plan for the reconstruction of Iran worth at least 300 billion dollars.
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that starting negotiations with United States requires ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, stressing that the signed memorandum of understanding between the two sides included an emphasis on respecting the sovereignty of each of Iran and Lebanon.
The ministry clarified that the memorandum of understanding, which consists of 14 clauses in one and a half pages, allocated its first and second clauses to the general framework of negotiations, pointing out that Lebanon was mentioned three times in the document.
It added that the memorandum stipulates the necessity of ending the war on various fronts, especially in Lebanon, in preparation for starting the negotiation phase, stressing that the continued Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon contradicts the principle of respecting Lebanese sovereignty contained in the agreement.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry stressed that the continuation of the Israeli occupation of parts of southern Lebanon represents a violation of the memorandum of understanding, stressing that Tehran will take the necessary measures regarding that.
Regarding the course of negotiation, the ministry clarified that Iran and United States pledged to conduct negotiations aiming to reach a final agreement within 60 days, provided that the first round of them begins next Friday.
It said that the memorandum includes an American commitment to respect Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and it also stipulates starting negotiations regarding the files of sanctions and the nuclear program after the official signing of the agreement.
It added that the American side pledged to lift the restrictions imposed on Iranian maritime navigation and stop the harassment of Iranian ships within 30 days, stressing that the implementation of this commitment has already begun.
It also indicated that Iran will work within a specified period of time to return navigation movement in the Strait of Hormuz to its normal state and remove some obstacles, pointing out that Tehran and Muscat will cooperate in managing navigation movement and providing services to ships, with consultation with the countries of the region when needed.
On the economic side, the Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed that United States pledged to remove obstacles related to frozen Iranian assets, pointing out that the two sides discussed some details related to this file during the recent discussions.
Negotiation for a final agreement
The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said that Tehran will reveal the details and dimensions of the memorandum of understanding signed with United States after its official signing at the end of this week, stressing that the next phase will focus on negotiating to reach a final agreement within the specified period of 60 days.
Ghalibaf clarified that the 14th clause of the memorandum of understanding stipulates referring the final agreement between Iran and United States to the United Nations Security Council for its adoption, but he stressed that any agreement, even after the Security Council ratifies it, “remains untrustworthy,” considering that the real guarantee for Iran lies in its “self-strength.”
He confirmed that the priority at the current stage is represented in implementing the first clause of the memorandum, which is related to ending the war on various fronts, before moving to the implementation of other clauses.
He added that the presented understandings include expanding the scope of the ceasefire from the southern suburb of Beirut to include all Lebanese territories, within the framework of efforts aimed at ending confrontations in the region.
Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Ghalibaf said that the strait “will not return to what it was previously,” but he confirmed at the same time that his country does not intend to take measures that contradict international laws regulating maritime navigation.
He pointed out that the memorandum of understanding included establishing Iran’s right to obtain revenues in return for the services it provides to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that Tehran has a sovereign right in the strait considering it one of the countries overlooking it.
Source:Websites
