Tehran releases US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding

A Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States and their respective allies in the current war agrees to an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon. The parties also mutually commit not to initiate war or military operations, to refrain from the use of force, and to guarantee the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. Following is the content of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the US: 1. The United States and Iran, along with their respective allies in the current war, declare an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and from this moment commit not to initiate any war or military operations against one another, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against one another, as well as to guarantee the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final agreement will confirm the permanent cessation of war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and the other provisions in this paragraph. 2. The United States and Iran agree to mutually respect sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from interference in each other’s internal affairs. 3. The United States and Iran commit to negotiate and reach a final agreement within a maximum period of 60 days, which may be extended by mutual consent. 4. Immediately upon the signing of this MoU, the United States will begin to remove their naval blockade and all disruptions or impediments against Iran, and will fully end the naval blockade within 30 days. During this period, ship traffic will correspond to the pre-war traffic volume restored by Iran. The United States further pledges to withdraw its forces from proximity to Iranian territory within 30 days after the final agreement. 5. Upon the signing of this MoU, Iran will arrange its best efforts for a safe passage for commercial ships at no cost for 60 days only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa. Commercial ship traffic will immediately operate, and taking into account the need to remove technical and military obstacles and mine clearance by Iran, will be enforced within 30 days. Iran will engage in dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to determine future maritime administration and services in the Strait of Hormuz through discussions with other Persian Gulf coastal states in accordance with applicable international law and the sovereign rights of the coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz. 6. The United States pledges with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with funds of at least 300 billion US dollars for the reconstruction and economic development of Iran. The mechanism will be finalised as part of the final agreement within 60 days. All necessary licences, exemptions, and authorisations for related financial transactions will be provided by the US. 7. The United States pledges to end all types of sanctions against Iran, including UN Security Council resolutions, IAEA Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral US sanctions, primary and secondary, on a schedule agreed as part of the final agreement. Iran and the United States recognise the importance of the aforementioned sanctions termination issue and express their intention to promptly address these issues in negotiations to reach a mutual agreement. 8. The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms that it will not acquire or develop nuclear weapons. The United States and Iran agree to resolve the handling of the stock of enriched material through a mutually agreed mechanism according to the schedule in Paragraph Seven, with a minimum method of downblending at a location under IAEA supervision. Both parties also agree to discuss the issue of uranium enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to Iran’s nuclear needs based on a satisfactory framework to be set out in the final agreement. The final agreement will confirm these provisions. The United States and Iran recognise the importance of these nuclear issues and express their intention to promptly address them in negotiations to reach a mutual agreement. 9. Pending the final agreement, the United States and Iran agree to maintain the status quo. Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear programme, and the US will not impose any new sanctions and will not deploy additional forces in the region. 10. The United States pledges that immediately upon the signing of this MoU until sanctions end, the US Department of the Treasury will issue a number of exemptions for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and their derivatives, and all related services, including banking transactions, insurance, transportation, etc. 11. The United States pledges to fully make available Iranian funds and assets that are frozen or restricted for use after the implementation of this MoU. The US and Iran will mutually agree on procedures related to the release of these funds during negotiations. The funds, whether held in original accounts or transferred, will be fully usable for payments to end beneficiaries designated by the Central Bank of Iran. The United States agrees to issue all necessary licences and authorisations. 12. The United States and Iran agree that an executive mechanism will be established to monitor the successful implementation of this MoU and compliance with the final agreement. 13. Upon the signing of this MoU and provided that implementation of Paragraphs 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11 has commenced and is ongoing, the United States and Iran will begin negotiations on the final agreement, which will only address the remaining paragraphs. 14. The final agreement will be ratified through a binding UN Security Council resolution.