A White House official said Wednesday evening in a briefing for reporters that the United States and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding ahead of a final agreement. In a later press conference, President Donald Trump said, “We reached an agreement that achieves everything we wanted to achieve,” adding that it would open the Strait of Hormuz and prevent Iran from ever obtaining nuclear weapons.
The published draft says both sides declare an immediate and permanent end to military activity on all fronts, including Lebanon, and pledge not to start war or use force against each other. They also commit to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to finalize a permanent end to the war within 60 days, extendable only by mutual consent.
The text says the sides will negotiate the final deal within 60 days, while the United States will lift its naval blockade and other restrictions on Iran within 30 days, withdraw its forces from the area within 30 days after the final agreement, and eventually end all sanctions, including those tied to the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Until then, Washington will keep a status quo, avoid new sanctions, and allow crude oil and petroleum exports from Iran.
Iran, for its part, pledges safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, technical and military steps including mine clearance within 30 days, and talks with Gulf states on the future administration and maritime services there. It also reaffirms it will not acquire or develop nuclear weapons, and the sides say the issue of enriched uranium will be handled by mutual agreement, with the default option being monitored storage under the IAEA. The deal also calls for an Iranian economic reconstruction and development program worth at least $300 billion, release of frozen Iranian funds and assets, and a binding UN Security Council resolution approving the final agreement.
