TEHRAN, June 12– Nuclear talks between Iran and the United States will be held within a 60-day period after the two countries’ potential signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war, the official news agency IRNA reported Friday.
Under the present circumstances, no new agreement will be reached on Iran’s nuclear program, and Tehran will give no new commitment on the issue, the report said while elaborating on the general outlines of the potential MoU.
It added that the framework of Iran’s “peaceful” nuclear program will remain intact after signing the MoU, stressing that references made to Iran’s nuclear program in the MoU’s text do not create any new commitment for the country.
According to IRNA, during the 60-day negotiations after the MoU’s signing, Iran will undoubtedly discuss its nuclear program within the framework of the Iranian establishment’s fundamental principles, and will insist on issues such as the country’s right to uranium enrichment and retention of its enriched uranium.
The report said despite media claims, Iran will make no commitment in the MoU’s text on handing over the management of the Strait of Hormuz or the waterway’s return to its pre-war conditions.
The report added that the only issues mentioned in the MoU in that regard are as follows: maritime traffic in the strait will return to normal after the end of the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran; coastal countries, namely Iran and Oman, will be in charge of ensuring the safety of navigation in the waterway; the U.S. “illegal” naval blockade will be lifted; and the U.S. and Israeli threats against commercial ships’ movements will be stopped.
Within the same framework, the report said, even after signing the MoU, no talk will be held on the strait’s future between Iran and the United States, and Iran will resolve the issue in negotiations with Oman.
According to IRNA, the signing of the MoU will be mainly aimed at ending the war on all fronts in the region, including Lebanon, and the United States is expected to pledge that it will compel Israel to end the war in Lebanon.
It said a clear process has been specified in the MoU for the release of Iran’s frozen assets concurrent with the document’s signing and within the subsequent 60-day negotiations, adding if Iran signs the MoU, part of its assets will be released immediately, and the rest will be unblocked gradually during the following talks.
According to IRNA, the issue of paying compensations to Iran for war damages has also been included in the MoU, and Tehran, “within the framework of a realistic and operational approach,” has developed a mechanism for receiving the reparations, the implementation of which will be agreed during the 60-day talks.
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the MoU during a phone call, according to a statement issued by Netanyahu’s office.
While Israel is not a party to the MoU, Netanyahu thanked Trump for his commitment that the final agreement at the end of the negotiations would include removing Iran’s enriched material, dismantling its enrichment facilities, limiting its missile production, and ending its support for its regional “terrorist proxies,” read the statement.
Iran and the United States have during the past weeks reportedly exchanged several proposed plans outlining conditions for peace through Pakistan’s mediation, and have been working to finalize an MoU aimed at ending the war. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
