Reported US-Iran Memorandum Says Sanctions Relief and 60-Day Nuclear Talks Ahead

Iranian exiles circulated what they said was the final text of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, and Al Arabiya later published the same document. Its authenticity is not fully verified, but it broadly matches other reporting, including a Wall Street Journal report that Iran would receive immediate economic relief through an oil-sales sanctions waiver before the start of the planned 60-day talks on a future nuclear deal. President Donald Trump had said the text would only be released after the formal signing ceremony on Friday in Switzerland.

A source familiar with the draft told Reuters that the package includes a private investment fund for Iran worth $300 billion, financed without government money and discussed separately from frozen Iranian assets. The source said the fund would only begin operating after the final agreement is signed. In Israel, officials asked Washington to see the document and were refused. Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, acknowledged that Jerusalem still did not know the exact final wording.

The leaked text says Iran, the United States and their allies in the current war would immediately and permanently end hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, and refrain from threats or use of force. It also calls for mutual respect for sovereignty, no interference in internal affairs, and a maximum 60-day negotiating period, extendable by mutual consent. The US would lift the naval blockade, restore maritime traffic within 30 days, and withdraw forces from surrounding areas within 30 days after the final deal.

The draft further says Iran would restore commercial shipping through the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman to prewar levels within 30 days, while handling technical obstacles and mine removal. Washington and regional partners would develop a comprehensive reconstruction and economic development program for Iran, with at least $300 billion in financing. The US would also end all sanctions, including UN Security Council, IAEA Board, and unilateral American sanctions, and issue waivers for Iranian crude oil, petrochemicals, and related services, including banking, insurance and transport, until sanctions are lifted. Iran reiterates it will never produce nuclear weapons.

The document says both sides would keep the status quo until a final agreement, with Iran maintaining its nuclear program as is and the US imposing no new sanctions or force buildup. It also says frozen or restricted Iranian funds and assets would be released, an implementation mechanism would monitor compliance, and the final deal would be approved by a binding UN Security Council resolution. Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi said the US had come to the table on Iran’s terms and must prove its commitment by ending the war against Lebanon. Leiter rejected the Iranian claim that Israel must withdraw from southern Lebanon, saying the US had made clear the deal is not tied to that issue.