Iran's FM says talks with US on final deal to begin Friday

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that negotiations between Iran and the United States on a final agreement will begin on Friday following the two sides' official signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to end the war, according to the official news agency IRNA, reported Xinhua.

Araghchi made the remarks at a meeting with foreign diplomats in the Iranian capital Tehran while elaborating on the peace MoU that was finalized on Sunday between Iran and the United States with Pakistan's mediation.

"The new round of negotiations between Iran and the United States on reaching a final agreement will probably begin on Friday at the venue that will be decided," he said, explaining that owing to the difficulties in reaching an agreement between Iran and the United States that resulted from the U.S. and Israeli "criminal aggression" against the country, "we ultimately decided to divide the negotiations into two stages."

He said the first stage pertained to the finalization of an MoU on issues such as the war's end, the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. anti-Iran naval blockade, Iranian frozen assets and the reconstruction of war damages, adding that in the second stage, negotiations will continue for a 60-day period to reach a final agreement on nuclear issues and the removal of sanctions on Iran.

Araghchi noted that in the first stage, the most important thing that will happen is the declaration of an end to the war, stressing, "Based on the decision we made, the end of the war was also announced on Monday morning when the agreement was finalized, but the official start of the MoU will be on Friday."

The minister said the "immediate and permanent" end of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, is perhaps the most important issue in the MoU, noting that owing to the connection that the war in Lebanon and Israel's "aggression" against southern Lebanon found with the war against Iran, and the fact that the two fronts became somehow connected to and dependent on each other.

Araghchi described the war's end in Lebanon as an "inseparable" part of the Iran-U.S. peace MoU, stressing "The war's end also includes the end of (Israel's) occupation. The war's end is not complete without the Israeli forces' withdrawal from the (Lebanese) territories they occupied in this war."

Araghchi emphasized that from now on, Iran considers any military attack by Israel against Lebanon and the continued occupation of the Lebanese territories a violation of the peace MoU.

The United States, Pakistan and Iran early Monday announced the finalization of the MoU on ending the war following weeks of negotiations, adding that it will be officially signed in Switzerland on Friday.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States is going to have the Strait of Hormuz fully opened by Friday.

"The ships are starting to move nicely. Oil is starting to go, and the prices are coming down rapidly," Trump told reporters on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France, stressing the most important part is that "Iran will not have a nuclear weapon."

"We have our deal done with Iran. It should be successful. It goes to a second stage, which I think will be easier," Trump said.

He dismissed the claim of a 300-billion-U.S. dollar fund to rebuild Iran as a "rumor." The United States is "not investing any money in Iran," he said.

Trump also said he is not happy with the way Israel has handled itself with Lebanon and with Hezbollah, adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must now be "more responsible with respect to Lebanon."

Iran and the United States finalized a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Sunday and digitally signed it on Monday. The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a halt to military operations across multiple fronts are announced by both sides, with key details remaining disputed.

Trump hailed the agreement for restoring stability for global markets, while Iran called the deal a triumph over Washington and Israel.

The G7 summit kicked off on Monday in Evian, a town on the shores of Lake Geneva in eastern France. The three-day summit was set to focus on a range of issues, including the Ukraine crisis, Middle East tensions, and the development of artificial intelligence.