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The United States and Iran have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to end the war, agreeing to an immediate ceasefire and a 60-day negotiation window for a permanent deal. The MoU includes a halt to hostilities, unfreezing of Iranian assets, and a commitment to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. However, major disagreements have already surfaced, threatening the fragile peace.
A central point of contention is the status of Iran's nuclear program. US Vice President JD Vance claimed that Iran agreed to IAEA inspections of its nuclear sites, but Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei flatly denied this, stating no inspections are scheduled and that Iran made no new commitments on nuclear materials Source: AP News; Al Jazeera. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi insisted inspections will happen under the MoU Source: AP News.
The US says $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets will be released into escrow and must be spent on US agricultural goods, benefiting American farmers Source: DW News. Iran rejects any conditionality, with Baghaei saying Iran will decide how to use its assets based on price and quality Source: AP News; Euronews. This contradiction remains unresolved.
The MoU calls for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran and Oman are discussing joint management Source: Euronews. President Trump warned there will be 'no tolls' and threatened to end talks if Iran imposes charges Source: Infobae. Meanwhile, the economic toll on Iran is severe: war damages are estimated at €229 billion, and food prices have skyrocketed . The deal also leaves out Israel, which is not a party to the talks, and violence in Lebanon continues despite a ceasefire mechanism .
“Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that U.N. inspectors were not scheduled to examine nuclear sites bombed by the U.S. last year.”
“Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the assets 'will be released and will be employed with absolute liberty by Iran in order to purchase whatever goods or commodities needed by the nation.‘”
“According to US President Donald Trump, the money will be 'used for the purchase of food and medical supplies, exclusively from the United States, including Corn, Wheat, and Soybeans from our great American farmers.‘”
“Iran and Oman issued a joint statement saying they were working to reach an agreement on how the waterway would be jointly managed and on 'the services that will be provided in this regard and the costs associated with them.‘”