Iran's FM says talks with US on final agreement to begin Friday
Tehran, June 17
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that negotiations between Iran and the United States on a final agreement will begin on Friday following the two sides' official signing of a memorandum of understanding to end the war, according to the official news agency IRNA.
Araghchi made the remarks at a meeting with foreign diplomats in the Iranian capital Tehran while elaborating on the peace MoU that was finalised on Sunday between Iran and the United States, Xinhua news agency reported..
"The new round of negotiations between Iran and the United States on reaching a final agreement will probably begin on Friday at the venue that will be decided," he said, explaining that owing to the difficulties in reaching an agreement between Iran and the United States that resulted from the US and Israeli "criminal aggression" against the country, "we ultimately decided to divide the negotiations into two stages."
He said the first stage pertained to the finalisation of an MoU on issues such as the war's end, the Strait of Hormuz, US anti-Iran naval blockade, Iranian frozen assets and the reconstruction of war damages, adding that in the second stage, negotiations will continue for a 60-day period to reach a final agreement on nuclear issues and the removal of sanctions on Iran.
Araghchi noted that in the first stage, the most important thing that will happen is the declaration of an end to the war, stressing, "Based on the decision we made, the end of the war was also announced on Monday morning when the agreement was finalized, but the official start of the MoU will be on Friday."
The minister said the "immediate and permanent" end of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, is perhaps the most important issue in the MoU, noting that owing to the connection that the war in Lebanon and Israel's "aggression" against southern Lebanon found with the war against Iran, and the fact that the two fronts became somehow connected to and dependent on each other.
Araghchi described the war's end in Lebanon as an "inseparable" part of the Iran-US peace MoU, stressing "The war's end also includes the end of (Israel's) occupation. The war's end is not complete without the Israeli forces' withdrawal from the (Lebanese) territories they occupied in this war."
Araghchi emphasised that from now on, Iran considers any military attack by Israel against Lebanon and the continued occupation of the Lebanese territories a violation of the peace MoU.
The United States, Pakistan and Iran early Monday announced the finalisation of the MoU on ending the war following weeks of negotiations, adding that it will be officially signed in Switzerland on Friday.
On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the region.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Interesting how Pakistan is also a signatory here. Given our complex relationship with both Iran and Pakistan, New Delhi must watch this closely. The Strait of Hormuz is critical for our oil imports - any disruption there affects our economy directly. Hope the nuclear issue gets resolved in the second phase too, non-proliferation matters to all of us.
Good that they're linking Lebanon ceasefire to this deal. That whole region is interconnected - what happens in Gaza and Lebanon inevitably spills over. But I'm skeptical about US guarantees, given their track record. Let's see if they actually deliver on sanctions relief this time. Iran has been burned before.
As someone who follows international affairs, I find this very significant. The two-stage approach makes sense - first stop the fighting and address immediate humanitarian concerns, then tackle the complex nuclear file. The 60-day timeline for nuclear talks is ambitious but necessary. Global oil markets will breathe a sigh of relief with Hormuz security guaranteed.
Yaar, I just hope this doesn't end up like the JCPOA which the US walked away from. India needs stable oil prices and our diaspora in Gulf countries needs security. The fact that Israel is mentioned as an aggressor here is telling - they launched attacks first. Hopefully this MoU has stronger enforcement mechanisms.
This is a complex geopolitical situation but encouraging to see diplomatic solutions emerging. I hope the Iranian frozen assets issue gets resolved quickly - that's real money that could help with reconstruction. The US role as mediator is interesting given they were part of the initial attacks. Pragmatic diplomacy at work.
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