US, Iran sign memorandum of understanding, says Vice President Vance
WASHINGTON/TEHRAN: US Vice President J.D. Vance said that the United States and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding, marking a significant step toward easing tensions between the longtime adversaries.
According to Vance, he and President Donald Trump signed the document on behalf of the United States, while Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf signed on behalf of Iran.
The announcement came after reports by The Wall Street Journal that Washington had agreed to a deal with Tehran and that President Trump would soon make a formal statement.
Trump later declared that the agreement with Iran had been completed, adding that the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports had been lifted and calling on global shipping operators to resume commercial activities and oil transportation.
In an interview with The New York Times, Trump also warned that the United States would take military action again if Iran failed to reach a final nuclear agreement.
Meanwhile, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the U.S. naval blockade would end overnight and that the text of the memorandum would be released after the signing. He said Iran would begin implementing the agreement on Friday.
Gharibabadi stressed that the memorandum does not mean Iran trusts its adversaries, adding that negotiations on a final agreement are expected to continue over the next 60 days. He warned that Tehran would respond if the terms of the agreement were not honored.
Separately, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the agreement does not mean that Iran will forgive or forget what it describes as crimes committed during the conflict.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the development and announced that Pakistan would host a ceremony related to the Iran-U.S. agreement in Geneva on Friday.
Addressing the National Assembly, Sharif described the development as a historic milestone for peace, saying the world had moved beyond the darkness of war toward a new era of diplomacy.