The Iranian Mehr Agency reported today that the draft agreement with Washington requires final approval by the relevant authorities, after Tehran said that the negotiating situation is still under discussion and has not been officially resolved.
Mehr Agency said, “The draft agreement requires final approval by the relevant authorities,” indicating that “the final negotiations will focus on nuclear and economic issues and will exclude discussions about the Iranian missile program.”
She pointed out that “the memorandum of understanding also includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, canceling oil sanctions, and releasing frozen Iranian funds,” explaining that “the memorandum of understanding with Washington includes America’s commitment to lift sanctions, withdraw its forces from the regions around Iran, and lift the naval blockade.”
Iranian media revealed details of a preliminary draft of understanding consisting of 14 items between Iran and the United States, stressing that the proposed text has not yet been finally decided, and is still awaiting review and approval by the relevant institutions in the Islamic Republic.
According to the “Breaking News” agency, the draft stipulates an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on various fronts, including Lebanon, along with an American pledge to respect Iran’s sovereignty and not interfere in its internal affairs.
The proposed terms include lifting the naval blockade imposed on Iran within 30 days, reopening the Strait of Hormuz according to Iranian arrangements, as well as the withdrawal of American forces from the country’s vicinity, suspending restrictions imposed on exports of oil and petrochemical products, and providing full access to its financial revenues.
The draft also stipulates the start of negotiations that will last 60 days to reach a final agreement focusing on the nuclear file and the lifting of US and UN sanctions, in exchange for renewing Tehran’s commitment to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and not seeking to produce a nuclear weapon.
According to the leaks, the United States pledged not to strengthen its military presence in the region or impose new sanctions during the negotiations period, in addition to releasing $24 billion in frozen Iranian funds, with half of this amount being available to Iran before the start of the final negotiations.
The draft also includes establishing a monitoring mechanism to follow up on the implementation of the understanding, provided that the final agreement is confirmed through a resolution issued by the UN Security Council.
On the economic side, the document stipulates that the United States and its allies will present plans for the reconstruction of Iran worth no less than $300 billion, within the framework of supporting the Iranian economy after reaching the comprehensive agreement.
The leaked items also indicate that the final negotiations will be limited to issues related to the fate of enriched materials, enrichment levels, lifting sanctions, and the Iranian economic reconstruction program, while the Iranian missile program file and the issue of Tehran’s support for resistance factions will be completely excluded from the agenda.
Reports confirmed that the start of final negotiations will be conditional on the release of part of the frozen Iranian funds, the suspension of oil sanctions, and an end to the naval blockade, while Iranian sources stressed that this draft still needs to be reviewed and approved by the competent authorities, and has not yet turned into a final agreement binding on both parties.
Field and diplomacy
In a related context, Mansour Haqiqatpour, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in the Iranian Parliament, denied the existence of any differences between the institutions concerned with decision-making in the Islamic Republic, stressing that the military and diplomatic sides work within the framework of a unified leadership.
Haqiqat Pour said, in statements reported by ISNA on Friday, that “the country’s military and diplomatic agencies are moving within the framework of one leadership,” rejecting what he described as “the West’s bet on the emergence of divisions within the structure of the Iranian regime.”
The Iranian official added: “Whether it is Majeed Mousavi (commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ air and missile forces) who has the precision missiles or Muhammad Baqir Qalibaf, the negotiator, they both receive orders from one commander,” indicating that there is complete coordination between the military track and the negotiating track.
He pointed out that the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s support for the military operations carried out by the Revolutionary Guard reflects, as he put it, “harmony between the field and diplomacy.”
These statements come at a time when there is continuing news about Tehran and Washington being close to reaching a preliminary framework of understanding, amid the continuation of indirect negotiations between the two sides, and conflicting statements about the extent of progress achieved in the negotiation process.
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