Araghchi: Israeli occupation of Lebanese land a violation of MoU
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iranian and US delegations will meet in Switzerland next Friday, sign a memorandum of understanding, and launch formal negotiations aimed at achieving a tangible economic breakthrough.
In a televised statement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi affirmed that, from Iran’s perspective, the two parties to the Memorandum of Understanding are the United States and “Israel” on one side, and Iran and Hezbollah on the other.
He also said, contrary to Trump’s overnight statement, that the MoU would be signed on Friday.
Speaking at the opening of a meeting with ambassadors, chargés d’affaires, and heads of foreign and international missions in Tehran on Tuesday, Araghchi stressed that the end of the war in Lebanon is an inseparable part of the complete end of the war, noting that ending the war on Lebanon also includes ending the occupation of Lebanese territory.
Araghchi said that, from now on, any military attack by “Israel” on Lebanon, as well as the continuation of the occupation of Lebanese territories, will be considered a violation of the MoU.
According to Araghchi, the heads of the two delegations from the US and Iran will first sign the memorandum of understanding on Friday before the inaugural round of formal negotiations begins.
Tehran, he said, aims to build on the understandings reached and translate them into a tangible economic opening.
Implementation Mechanism Amid Deep-Seated Mistrust
The Iranian foreign minister also said that the negotiation agenda and the mechanism for implementing the anticipated understandings will be formulated in light of the prevailing lack of trust in the United States stemming from previous experiences marked by breaches of commitments and failures to uphold obligations.
“Naturally, we do not squander any opportunity in foreign policy, but at the same time, we do not pin our hopes on any opportunity,” Araghchi said, underscoring Tehran’s cautious and pragmatic approach to the forthcoming negotiations.
Trump Says Iran Deal Signed
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump claimed overnight Monday that a memorandum of understanding with Iran has been signed and that the Strait of Hormuz will be completely reopened by Friday, speaking to reporters upon his arrival in Evian, France, ahead of the G7 summit.
The formal signing ceremony is scheduled for Friday in Geneva, with Vance confirmed to attend. Trump said he may or may not be personally present, noting he would “probably be gone by then” given the late schedule of the G7 proceedings, but left open the possibility of involvement.
Iran is making a joke out of itself with these statements. They knew well that the zionist entity wouldn’t back down from its illegal land grab and would escalate. Still, they went ahead and approved the MoU. Worse, they can’t point fingers at the zionist psychos because they aren’t a… Read more »
I’m not going to start from the beginning .. just, we don’t know yet fully what the MoU contains. Then, the MoU was pushed over a furious day or two by Trump, because Iran was going to decimate the zionists. They said, as far as we know .. OK, but… Read more »