U.S. and Iran Expected to Sign Memorandum of Understanding as Early as This Weekend; Cease-fire Talks Gain Momentum

[Anchor]

Negotiations to end the conflict between the United States and Iran, which faced a critical turning point after two consecutive days of military clashes, are gaining rapid momentum. There are observations that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war could be signed as early as this weekend.

Reporter Kim Young-ah has the story.

[Reporter]

U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly canceled the third day of airstrikes on Iran that he had previously warned of.

At the same time, he stated that the cease-fire negotiations, which had been a tug-of-war with Iran, have effectively been reached.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President: We have reached a very good agreement regarding the war with Iran. We will finalize the documentation soon, and it will be completed within a few days.]

He also mentioned that a signing ceremony for the memorandum of understanding could be held in Europe as early as this weekend.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President: We might do it (the signing ceremony) in Europe over the weekend. I will not be attending, but Vice President Vance will be there.]

Iran's Fars News Agency reported that the U.S. has accepted the original draft of the MOU proposed by Iran, adding that there is a high possibility of approval from the supreme leadership.

The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry also acknowledged that the agreement is nearly finalized.

[Esmaeil Baghaei / Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: Regarding the text of the agreement, what I can tell you is that most of the document is almost finalized.]

Following the downing of a U.S. military helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. and Iran engaged in their largest military clashes on June 9 and 10, just two months after a cease-fire was established.

As the peace negotiations teetered on the brink of collapse, a Qatari delegation flew to Tehran for overnight mediation, leading to a sudden reversal in the situation.

U.S. media outlets reported that the MOU is expected to include the immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz without transit fees, a 60-day extension of the cease-fire including Lebanon, a pledge by Iran to abandon nuclear weapons development, and the reduction of enriched uranium levels under UN supervision.

In particular, as the agreement reportedly includes a provision to restore shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within 30 days, it is expected that 24 South Korean vessels will be able to exit sequentially.

However, there are differences between the U.S. and what Iranian media outlets emphasize is included in the MOU.

Iranian reports claim that the agreement also includes the return of frozen Iranian funds, the lifting of oil export sanctions, and a promise for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from areas surrounding Iran.

While Trump stated that Israel also approved the agreement with Iran, it was reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was surprised to hear of the announcement via Trump's social media and had not been informed of the details of the agreement in advance.

(Video Editing: Jo Mu-hwan)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.