Iran’s powerful theocratic paramilitary unit, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday published a list of the 14 main points of the Islamic Republic’s proposed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the US, ahead of a possible signing later this week.
According to the IRGC, the military front of the agreement would include an immediate and permanent end to military activity across all fronts, including the ongoing parallel war in Lebanon between Israel and the Hezbollah, and a commitment by Washington to respect Iran’s sovereignty and refrain from interfering in its internal affairs.
On the economic front, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen within 30 days under arrangements managed by Iran, while the US would lift its naval blockade of all Iranian ports and vessels within 30 days, agree to suspend all restrictions on Tehran’s oil and petrochemical exports, and give unrestricted access to Tehran to all revenue generated.
As per IRGC, the document also calls for the release of $25bn worth of frozen Iranian assets, with half of the funds to be made available during a 60-day negotiating period for reaching a final accord.
Furthermore, the US and its allies would prepare reconstruction plans for Iran worth at least $300bn.
On the nuclear issue, the IRGC said Iran would reaffirm its commitment under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to not develop nuclear weapons, while both sides would hold 60 days of negotiations for reaching a broader settlement covering sanctions and nuclear-related disputes.
The proposed framework also reportedly excludes any discussion of Iran’s conventional missile programme or its support for allied armed groups in the region.
However, a senior Trump administration official gave a starkly different account of the deal, and told CBS News that Iran would not receive any portion of the frozen financial assets until the country shows it is complying with the obligations made under the deal.
“If they turn over the nuclear material as promised, they get something. If they dismantle their nuclear programmes or their nuclear facilities, they’ll get something else. If they really commit to regional peace and stability, they’ll get additional things on top of that,” the official said.
The official further cautioned against treating Iranian statements as definitive, describing some public claims from Tehran as “domestic propaganda.”
Israeli officials also moved to distance themselves from parts of the reported framework, saying that Jerusalem was not bound to withdraw its forces from Lebanon or end its military operations against Hezbollah under any US-Iran agreement.
