Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the memorandum of understanding with Washington is not a final agreement, but an understanding that addresses key points of contention and confirms the end of the war. He added that given past experience, the focus at this stage was solely on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, according to Iranian state media.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson clarified Saturday that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States is not a final, binding agreement, but an understanding focused on ending the war. The spokesperson said the document addresses central disputes and that, given past experience, talks prioritized ending hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon.
This latest statement follows a flurry of Iranian officials' pronouncements on the MoU this week. On Thursday, the same spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said the Islamabad memorandum "deliberately excludes" the nuclear issue from this stage and that the signing timing remained uncertain due to US hesitation. A day earlier, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the understandings include ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and that the nuclear issue has been deferred to the final phase. Earlier in the week, Araghchi had reiterated that dilution inside Iran is the only acceptable method for handling the enriched uranium stockpile, and that sanctions removal would also be decided in the final deal. The thread has thus shown a consistent Iranian line: the initial MoU is a war-ending framework, with nuclear and other core issues kicked to a later agreement.
As The Zioneer has reported, this Iranian framing of the MoU as a comprehensive victory that demands Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and omits uranium surrender has been sharply contested by US officials. A senior Israeli source also told The Zioneer the expected document is a non-binding, "meaningless" interim step, with real negotiations to follow.
The spokesperson did not address the nuclear issue, the status of Iran's regional proxies, or a specific timeline for signing in this latest statement. Whether the US shares this narrow definition of the MoU's scope remains an open question.
8 developments
- DevelopingIran says Lebanon ceasefire text finalized, US will compel Israel to end war
- StrongIran conditions war-ending deal on Lebanon's inclusion
- DevelopingSenior Israeli official to Al-Hadath: US-Iran deal 'not end of game', asked to preserve military freedom in Lebanon
- DevelopingNo official confirmation released on reported US-Iran deal terms for Lebanon
Source and signal
- Internal intake