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Darwin, 19 June : U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East. The agreement was signed on Thursday morning (June 18, Bangladesh time), according to the AFP news agency.
Under the memorandum, Tehran has agreed to reduce the enrichment level of its uranium. In return, Iran will receive significant economic concessions.
The agreement also includes a condition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. official said that Donald Trump signed the memorandum during a dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron after the G7 Summit at the Palace of Versailles in Paris, France.
While leaving the palace, President Trump confirmed to reporters that he had signed the agreement.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told the state news agency IRNA, “The memorandum was finalized in Islamabad through the signatures of the two presidents. Now it is time to test its implementation.”
According to the report, the purpose of the memorandum is to end the war that allegedly began on February 28 with military actions by the United States and Israel. In response, Iran launched missile and drone attacks across various parts of the Middle East and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz.
Under the terms of the memorandum, Washington has pledged to immediately lift sanctions related to Iran’s oil sector. Once a final agreement is reached on Iran’s nuclear program, the United States will also support the release of a $300 billion reconstruction fund, backed by regional countries.
Baghaei added that the memorandum, signed electronically, has already come into effect. A statement issued on Wednesday confirmed that the United States and Iran had agreed to suspend military operations, paving the way for negotiations toward a permanent agreement.
Earlier, it had been expected that Iranian chief negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance would sign the agreement.
Later, however, Iran stated that a formal face-to-face signing ceremony was unnecessary. Negotiating teams from both countries remain in the same Swiss city, although plans for a direct meeting have been put on hold for the time being.
No official statement has yet been issued by President Donald Trump’s office.
However, Al Jazeera correspondent Mike Hanna reported that the White House spokesperson had confirmed the signing of the memorandum.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced in a post on X that the memorandum would take effect immediately.