‘The cost of breaking the deal will now be higher’: Tehran after Trump signs US-Iran peace deal | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Wednesday (local time), roughly four months after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran in late February.
Despite the two sides signing an agreement that paves the way for further negotiations in a 60-day period, tensions remain high.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaiel Baqaei said on Thursday (local time) that when US and Iranian Presidents Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian signed the deal, the cost of breaking it would be higher, ISNA reported.
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The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aims to end hostilities between the US and Iran, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin a 60-day period for negotiations to reach a final deal on sanctions and Iran’s nuclear program.
Iranian officials said that with the agreement signed by both presidents, the consequences of any violation would be stricter, increasing accountability and deterring violations of the memorandum of understanding.
The new MOU differs from the JCPOA as it is structured as a 14-point framework without specifying detailed commitments on enriched uranium or sanctions relief, whereas the JCPOA was a comprehensive agreement with defined terms.
There is uncertainty over the planned signing ceremony in Switzerland, as Iranian officials indicated after the virtual signing of the deal that they would reconsider the meeting.
The memorandum of understanding includes Iran’s reaffirmation that it will not develop or procure nuclear weapons, but leaves the details of uranium management to be decided during the upcoming negotiation period.
His remarks came after he noted that Iranian ships entered the ports without any problems and cargo was also unloaded from the ports without facing any obstacles.
Read also | US-Iran peace deal: Trump signs MoU in Versailles, White House confirms
The remarks came hours after the 14-point framework agreement was virtually signed by the two leaders. Trump, who was in Versailles when the treaty was signed, told reporters: “I signed it in Versailles.” The US president signed the deal a day after threatening to resume strikes on Iran if Iran does not honor its commitment.
The cost of breaking the agreement will now be higher: Baqaei
The official contract signing ceremony was earlier scheduled to take place in Switzerland on Friday. However, after the two leaders virtually signed the agreement, questions remain over the fate of the meeting, which was scheduled to take place on Friday.
Commenting on concerns about the planned meeting, an Iranian spokesman said: “We have come to the conclusion that the better option is for the presidents of both countries to sign the text virtually without having to be present at a specific place. There are several reasons for this decision, one of the most important of which is that when the text reaches the signature of the top leaders of both countries, the cost of violating it will not be higher, I think.”
Friday’s meeting not confirmed: Baqaei
Baqaei stated that Friday’s talks in Switzerland are no longer confirmed, saying: “Friday’s Iran-US talks in Switzerland are not confirmed. Friday’s meeting was only confirmed a few hours ago, but when it was decided that the presidents of both sides would sign the agreement, it was decided to give more thought to Friday’s meeting. The Islamabad MOU was signed by Iran and the presidents of the United States ISNA.”
Read also | US-Iran news LIVE: US-Iran peace talks confirmed for Friday, Switzerland says
Uncertainty looms over the meeting in Switzerland
Baqaei’s remarks came shortly after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif deleted a post on social media regarding the US-Iran peace deal ceremony. However, the Reuters news agency, citing the Swiss government, said on Thursday that the meeting would go ahead as planned.
The Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: “As it stands, it is still planned that the US and Iran, along with mediators Pakistan and Qatar and other participating countries, will meet tomorrow in Buergenstock for initial talks on the implementation of the agreement.”
“There is currently no further information available regarding the schedule and details of this meeting,” the statement added.
US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding: Included here
The 14-point memorandum of understanding is aimed at ending hostilities between Washington and Tehran, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and starting a 60-day negotiation process to reach a final deal on sanctions and the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
An Iranian spokesman noted that the two sides would discuss the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions within 60 days. But he claimed that the transfer of enriched uranium outside the country was “unacceptable” for them, adding that the Islamic Republic’s superpower status was not just a slogan because it had “defeated” two nuclear powers.
Read also | Trump’s stark warning to Iran: Stick to the deal or face the bombs again
He remarked: “The Islamic Republic of Iran is the skin of Iran; and the enemies wanted to peel off the skin of Iran. Every patriotic person understood that this separation (between Iran and the Islamic Republic) is an illusory separation.”
He further said that the agreement was signed in both English and Persian and left no room for ambiguity. “The memorandum of understanding is signed in two languages. We insisted that the text must be available in both Persian and English. If the text were only in English, we might encounter subjective translations. The Persian text is fully consistent with the English text and is fully valid from our point of view.”
However, it remains to be seen whether the two sides will meet in Switzerland due to lingering uncertainty over the proposed signing ceremony.
