Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that Tehran and Washington are likely to begin a new round of negotiations on a final agreement covering Iran’s nuclear programme on Friday.
Speaking during a briefing with foreign diplomats broadcast on Iranian state television, Araghchi said the talks would probably take place at a venue yet to be announced. He added that the negotiations would focus on reaching a comprehensive agreement following the recently announced memorandum of understanding between the two countries.
Araghchi stressed that ending the war across all fronts, particularly in Lebanon, was the most significant element of the preliminary agreement. He said Iran views the memorandum as an understanding between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran and Hezbollah on the other. According to him, the deal calls for an immediate and permanent end to military operations, including fighting in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials said commercial vessels would eventually be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without paying tolls under the proposed agreement. However, they emphasized that Iran must first fulfill its commitments before receiving any economic benefits or sanctions relief. A senior administration official said a proposed reconstruction package worth up to $300 billion would be linked to Iran’s compliance with the agreement.
Officials also confirmed that President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf electronically signed the memorandum on Sunday. A formal signing ceremony is expected to take place in Geneva later this week.
Vance described the memorandum as a broad framework that leaves the most difficult issues, especially Iran’s nuclear programme, to be resolved during follow-up negotiations. He said international nuclear inspectors would be allowed back into Iran to oversee the handling of enriched uranium as part of the proposed final agreement. Trump, who is attending the G7 summit in France, said the full text of the memorandum is expected to be released after Friday.
