White House officials announced that the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran will enter into force with immediate effect, after it was signed electronically remotely with a short interval between Presidents Donald Trump and Masoud Bazeshkian.
The historic announcement ended three months of war in the Middle East , opening the way for a second round of 60-day negotiations to reach a final comprehensive agreement.
Signing Ceremony
US President Donald Trump signed the paper version of the document during his participation in a dinner at the Palace of Versailles alongside his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, where a copy of the signed agreement was immediately sent to the Iranian side and the intermediary countries.
This coincided with the announcement by Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei of the completion of the drafting of the "Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding", noting that the Geneva meeting scheduled for tomorrow Friday will turn to discussing the executive arrangements and the nuclear program file instead of the traditional signing ceremony.
Item Details
U.S. officials have revealed to the media the technical details of the 14-point memorandum, which guarantees a mutual commitment not to take any military action and respect the sovereignty of the two countries.
The draft included setting a new "minimum" standard for reducing Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, immediately reopening the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade, and Washington's freezing of some broad sanctions and its pledge to allow the use of Iran's fully frozen assets when it comes into effect.
Lebanese Front
The negotiators included explicit clauses in the memorandum that guaranteed respect for Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty and an end to the war on all fronts.
Meanwhile, political circles in Israel were quick to react to the event, with Israeli press reports quoting a government's desire to expedite the conclusion of a separate agreement with the Lebanese government, with the aim of removing the withdrawal clause imposed by Tehran in the joint memorandum of understanding.
Iran's chief negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, described the deal as a "defeat for the United States," stressing that the guarantee of the memorandum's implementation lies in Iran's military power given the complete lack of confidence in the corresponding pledges.
Pakistan celebrates the fruits of mediation
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has led the mediation efforts between Iran and the United States, said the signing of the agreement at the highest levels of government demonstrates the commitment of both sides to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict, noting that the memorandum of understanding will enter into force with immediate effect.
According to Shahbaz, this means that as a first step, Iran will immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States will lift the naval blockade immediately afterwards.
In his remarks, the Pakistani prime minister praised President Donald Trump and his negotiating team's commitment to diplomacy and his preference for peaceful solutions to a conflict that could have had serious consequences for the region and beyond.
Shahbaz also praised Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Massoud Bezshakian "for their wisdom, foresight and high leadership in embracing the cause of peace," according to his statements.
In announcing the agreement, the Pakistani prime minister also praised the efforts of the State of Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt and the efforts of the Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in reaching the signing of the MoU.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that the deal would bring down global energy prices, while Pakistan celebrated the success of its arduous diplomatic mediation in coordination with Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
The surprise agreement comes after three harsh months of unprecedented naval and air military escalation between Washington and Tehran, which has caused a tight U.S. naval blockade of Iran's shores and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global energy supplies.
The acceleration of the timetable for the electronic signature, which was scheduled for Friday in Switzerland, came to reflect the extent of the domestic political and economic pressures faced by the Trump administration to publish the text of the memorandum and protect oil markets, especially after explicit US threats to the Iranians to return to the option of heavy bombing if negotiations faltered on Wednesday night.
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