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The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Esmaeil Baghaei, announced that a memorandum of understanding and the United States have been completed and signed electronically by both parties.
He added that the agreement has already started working.
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“The draft of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding was finalized with the president’s signature,” Baghaei told the IRNA news agency. “Now is the time to test the implementation of this agreement.”
Wednesday’s statement appears to confirm that the US and Iran have agreed to suspend military operations, paving the way for further talks.
Since both sides signed the agreement electronically, Baghaei said there will be no signing ceremony on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, as previously expected.
The negotiating team, however, is planning to stay in the Swiss city. The idea of a close meeting between them is expected in the coming hours, although for now such plans have been put on hold, according to Baghaei.
Although US President Donald Trump’s office did not issue an official statement on the signing, Al Jazeera reporter Mike Hanna reported that a White House spokesman had previously confirmed that it had taken place.
But Hanna warned that the memo could backfire on the US public, as Trump has been under pressure from the right-wing to deal with Iran.
“There’s a lot of dissatisfaction with the memorandum of understanding, as it’s been communicated to the public at this point, even among Republicans who have complained that Iran is being treated kindly,” Hanna said.
He also emphasized the opinion of the government officials that the memorandum is not a complete agreement but is the beginning of many negotiations.
“The administration is fighting hard to convince the American people and American politicians that this is not a defeat for the United States,” Hanna said.
Since February 28, the US and Israel have been engaged in a war against Iran, although a temporary ceasefire halted the largest war on April 8.
Trump has repeatedly said that his goal in launching the war was to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
From the moment the memorandum was unveiled, he pointed to the document’s assurances that Iran would not seek a nuclear weapon, despite Tehran’s long-standing denials that it would do so.
But according to the US news, the memo goes beyond the question of nuclear weapons. It sets a 60-day deadline for a final deal, and suggests the US will mobilize “partners” to make up $300bn to rebuild Iran.
The U.S. sanctions will also help it lift its sanctions against Iran, and the country will provide a boost to Iran’s oil exports.
Iran has hailed the statement as a victory. On Wednesday, the chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, told Fars, Iran’s news agency, that the US had failed to achieve its goals with Iran and said the memo was proof.
“This agreement is a record of US failure,” Ghalibaf said. “People will see and judge.”
He also explained that Hormuz River they would not return to “pre-war” status after 60 days of negotiations outlined in the agreement. He also said that Iran will expect money to use the waterway.
“I emphasize again that the Strait of Hormuz will not return to what happened in the past,” Ghalibaf said.
“Iran has sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, and of course, we will be fined.”
The position could pressure the Trump administration, which has promised that the strait, a major trade route, “will be free forever”.
Since the start of the war, Iran has blocked the waterway, sending global oil prices for oil, fertilizer and other goods soaring.
The US responded with a blockade of Iranian ports, although the effort ended at the end of the war.
But both sides have emphasized that the agreement is not the final agreement on all the disputed issues. Further negotiations are expected to resolve the lingering standoff.
“It’s just going to be a deal, like that, at the end of the 60-day negotiation period. At least, that’s the goal,” Hanna said.
