Experts point out that based on the details released so far, the agreement does not fundamentally resolve the long-standing differences between the United States and Iran over issues such as the nuclear program, nor does it reduce the mutual distrust between the two sides.
TEHRAN/WASHINGTON, June 16 (Xinhua) — The United States and Iran both claimed victory after digitally signing on Monday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending the three-month conflict, yet both sides continue to offer conflicting accounts of its contents as the text remains unpublished.
Iran called the deal a triumph over Washington and Israel. “The enemy that had attacked to carry out its evil aims was defeated in all its aims and the Islamic Republic of Iran won great victories in the war,” Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in remarks broadcast on state television Monday.
U.S. President Donald Trump hailed the agreement for restoring stability for global markets. “I think a lot of great things are going to happen in the Middle East right now. And very importantly, the oil is plummeting down, and the stock market is shooting up like a rocket today,” Trump was quoted by PBS News as saying on Monday in Evian, France, where G7 Leaders’ Summit is convening.
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. Among the unresolved issues is Iran’s proposed fees for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump insisted Monday that the strait will be toll-free and “there’s no argument on that.” U.S. Vice President JD Vance said in an interview with CNBC on Monday that the strait is expected to open “in a toll-free way for the long term.”
However, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported Monday that Iran will accept ships’ passage through the waterway free of charge solely for 60 days, after which the country intends to provide security, maritime, environmental and insurance services to crossing vessels and use the revenues for its economic development.
Differences also remain over Lebanon. Both sides announced an immediate ceasefire across all fronts, but it remains unclear whether the arrangement would require the Israeli military to withdraw from the large areas of southern Lebanon it currently occupies.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that ending the war in Lebanon is an “inseparable” part of the finalized MoU. But U.S. officials argued that Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon wasn’t a condition for the agreement and that Israel could respond to attacks by Hezbollah. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday said Israel wouldn’t withdraw its forces from Lebanese territory.
On Iran’s nuclear program, both sides acknowledged that Iran is committed not to develop nuclear weapons, yet posed diverging claims over the disposal of Iran’s highly enriched uranium.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump suggested the United States will work with Iran to remove enriched uranium at an “appropriate time.”
Tehran, however, has been firm in securing its right to enrichment on its own soil and against any proposals to transfer enriched uranium outside of Iran.
Tehran insists that the only acceptable way of dealing with its highly enriched uranium will be diluting it within Iranian territory, said Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi in an interview with the state-run IRIB TV on Friday.
Both sides are also making contradictory claims about the agreement on the issues of frozen assets and economic sanctions against Iran.
Baghaei said on Monday that the release of Iran’s frozen assets and reconstruction assistance for war-related damage were among the provisions included in the MoU. The United States will release 12 billion U.S. dollars in frozen assets to Iran before the start of technical negotiations, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency.
Washington has publicly rejected the claim. “Iran would not be provided cash in the deal,” Trump said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Sunday.
“Iran doesn’t get a dime of money unless they perform their obligations, and the money that we’re talking about is fundamentally sanctions relief,” Vance told ABC on Monday.
With major questions still unanswered, the deal’s real challenge begins after its formal signing in Switzerland on Friday, kicking off 60 days of technical negotiations.
Experts point out that based on the details released so far, the agreement does not fundamentally resolve the long-standing differences between the United States and Iran over issues such as the nuclear program, nor does it reduce the mutual distrust between the two sides.
“The reported agreement appears to focus on urgent issues necessary to halt escalation … More contentious subjects have been deferred to future negotiations,” said Aram Kiwan, an Arab Israeli political analyst and columnist, noting that he sees the most likely scenario as a lengthy, phased negotiating process.
“At this stage, it is difficult to speak of comprehensive peace,” said Suleiman Basharat, a Palestinian political analyst. “A single agreement can help reduce tensions, but it is unlikely by itself to deliver lasting peace across the wider Middle East.” ■
Iran, U.S. both claim win over MoU amid deep rifts
