US and Iran signed memorandum on Sunday, Vance says

The United States and Iran digitally signed a memorandum of understanding on Sunday, US Vice President J. D. Vance told ABC today. President Donald Trump confirmed it shortly afterwards. It had previously been reported that the two sides would formally sign the agreement on Friday in Switzerland. The memorandum provides for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the end of the US blockade of Iranian ports.

Reuters, citing a senior US official, reported that Trump and Vance signed the agreement on behalf of the US, while Iran was represented by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Washington is proceeding on the assumption that the speaker of the Iranian parliament had been authorised to sign by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

“We signed the agreement yesterday (Sunday),” the Associated Press quoted Vance as telling US television. The vice president also said that the United States had not yet released any frozen Iranian funds.

“We will publish the text (of the memorandum) this week, and everyone will see that Iran will not get a single cent unless it meets its obligations,” Vance said.

Trump said in the early evening CEST that the text of the agreement would be published after Friday. He did not rule out attending the formal signing on Friday. He expects Vance to be there.

The US president also said, according to The New York Times (NYT), that the Strait of Hormuz is partly open, but they are still “hunting for a few mines” there. He said it should be fully open on Friday. The NYT reports that one US official also spoke today of Friday, while another said shipping through the strait would not return to normal for at least two weeks.

Trump said it was not a bad idea for a few ships from other countries to be in the area as well. France has already offered assistance, for example. French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris could deploy frigates within 48 hours and its aircraft carrier within two to three days.

Trump also said today that no anti-Iran sanctions would be lifted until Tehran does what it is supposed to. He hopes the United States will have good relations with Iran.

A senior US official cited by Reuters said today that Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon was not part of the agreement between the US and Iran. Tehran has repeatedly called for an end to Israeli attacks in Lebanon.