Reluctant Iran Deep Dives Into US Terms As Qatari Mediators Push For Virtual Signing
Qatar’s mediators are engaged in efforts to facilitate a virtual signing of a deal that US President Donald Trump said would be signed Sunday to end the Middle East conflict with Iran.
Clarity on the details of the process and its timing remain elusive, after Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) aired differing views, CNN reported. The Islamic Republic’s negotiating team had stated “that the memorandum has not yet been finalized,” it said.
Conflicting messages carrying divergent accounts of the process arising from the US and Iran have been a regular feature since efforts to find a lasting solution to the war began. Though a ceasefire is in effect, both sides have engaged in sporadic firing in the region.
Mediators are reportedly planning a virtual signing, according to the CNN report. That memorandum of understanding would likely pave the way for a new 60-day period of negotiations, a US official had said Friday.
Pakistan, which initiated talks between the US and Iran after the Middle East conflict began, has said a deal aimed at a closure to the protracted war is in sight.
Iran’s state-backed media reported Sunday that its regime has “not yet taken a final decision” regarding a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.
Authorities in Tehran are engaged in a detailed examination of the terms and the political and legal aspects of the wordings, news agency FARS reported.
The review is being reportedly done simultaneously by experts and the decision makers in Iran. Implications of even minor details are being vetted by Iranian officials.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi had acknowledged in a post that “The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has never been closer.” But he had also urged to refrain from engaging in speculation before finalizing the deal. Trump’s announcement without providing details shattered that prospect as unconfirmed reports poured in about the terms.
The terms of a broad pact on the status of the shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz would be an easier task for mediators, but much haggling is likely over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program, a sensitive and contentious issue.
Trump had later rejected the account of a deal with the US emerging from Iran, saying it has “NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing.”
Concerns over how to tackle the issue of Iran’s frozen assets abroad is another sticking point. Iran is reportedly seeking a reported $24 billion, while the US and international agencies had put a $1.7 billion figure previously as amount due to Iran.
