Iranian government spokesman Esmail Baqaei said Wednesday evening that the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the presidents of Iran and the United States will be conducted in a remote format only, according to an official statement carried by Iranian media. Baqaei added that Tehran will not shake hands with 'enemies who tried to eliminate it,' underscoring continued antagonism despite the emerging diplomatic framework.
Iranian government spokesman Esmail Baqaei confirmed Wednesday evening that the planned signing of the memorandum of understanding between the presidents of Iran and the United States will be conducted remotely, and that Tehran will not shake hands with 'enemies who tried to eliminate it,' according to official remarks carried by Iranian media. The statement publicly formalizes what had been reported by multiple channels since 18:25 Jerusalem: that the signing format had shifted to remote, and that the ceremony would not take place in Geneva. Baqaei's language of not shaking hands goes further than earlier framing, injecting ideological distance into what had been described as a fast-moving technical switch.
The thread on this development unfolded rapidly Wednesday evening. At 18:25 Jerusalem, Barak Ravid (N12) reported that the US, Iran and mediators were discussing an electronic signing as early as that night, with immediate effect on the Strait of Hormuz clauses — a report corroborated within minutes by a diplomatic source cited by Yedioth Ahronoth. By 18:25, multiple Israeli and Arab outlets had converged on the same picture: the parties were accelerating toward a remote signing, bypassing the planned Friday ceremony in Geneva. The Zioneer's thread tracked this escalation version by version, as initial single-source reports were corroborated by multiple newsrooms, then by a statement from Iran's Foreign Ministry that the MoU 'could be signed by both presidents.' Baqaei's statement is the first explicit official confirmation from the Iranian government that the remote format is final and that the refusal to shake hands is a matter of declared policy.
As The Zioneer reported previously, Iran's Foreign Ministry had earlier Wednesday warned against hasty signing and cited 'instability' in US statements, even as President Trump claimed a deal was imminent. A senior negotiator stated there would be no more negotiations for now, and an Iranian official warned that forces 'will always keep their finger on the trigger.' The US has been pressing Iran not to retaliate for the Israeli strike in Beirut's Dahieh, according to a Channel 14 report cited by The Zioneer at 19:37 Jerusalem Sunday, in order to keep the emerging framework on track.
The precise timing of the signing remains unconfirmed, and the full text of the MoU has not been published by either party. The Zioneer reported earlier Wednesday that Israel was denied access to the full memorandum. An Iranian source told The Zioneer that the text will not be published even after signing.
9 developments
- StrongInformed source: US-Iran MOU signing moved to remote format, not Geneva
- DevelopingIran's Foreign Ministry spokesman: We'll sign a deal only when it serves our interests
- DevelopingIranian Deputy FM: MoU drafted in distrust, text to be released only after signing
- ConfirmedUS-Iran MOU Signing May Come Today; Trump Warns Hezbollah, Iran Rejects Israeli Presence in Lebanon
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