Draft MOU Reveals Iranian Victory? Terms Heavily Favor Tehran

[Anchor]

With the signing ceremony for the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war between the United States and Iran just two days away, the draft of the agreement has been made public. The document largely incorporates Iran's demands, including guarantees of sovereignty and the lifting of sanctions. Conversely, discussions on nuclear issues—which the U.S. had emphasized—have been deferred to final negotiations, leading to assessments that Iran has achieved a diplomatic victory.

Our first report comes from Kim Young-a.

[Reporter]

Bloomberg reported today (the 17th) that the U.S. has begun circulating the draft of the ceasefire MOU to its allies at the G7 summit, and disclosed its contents.

The first article of the 14-point agreement stipulates that upon the signing of the MOU, the war will end on all fronts, including in Lebanon.

Article 2 states that Iran and the U.S. will respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will not interfere in each other's internal affairs.

This could serve as a justification for Iran to assert its territorial sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, potentially allowing it to impose fees under the pretext of providing services in the future.

[Abbas Araghchi / Iranian Foreign Minister (on the 12th): "I believe this is the first time the other side has shown a respectful attitude toward negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran."]

The U.S. has also made significant concessions regarding sanctions against Iran and the issue of frozen assets.

The U.S. has promised to lift all sanctions against Iran, including primary and secondary sanctions, as well as those involving UN Security Council and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolutions, through follow-up negotiations.

Furthermore, it was agreed that remaining negotiations, including those on nuclear issues, would only begin once the unfreezing of assets commences.

In contrast, nuclear-related content is limited to a single point—Article 8—out of the 14 articles. Even this is merely a declarative statement that "Iran reaffirms it will not produce nuclear weapons." The dismantling of enriched uranium, which the U.S. had emphasized, is not directly mentioned; instead, it is summarized with the vague phrasing that "all nuclear-related matters shall be appropriately addressed in future final negotiations."

[Baek Seung-hoon / Research Fellow, Institute of Middle East Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies: "Everything Iran wanted has been included, and there is no mention of Iran's nuclear program. It seems Iran will be able to tell its people that it has won."]

Seemingly conscious of this situation, U.S. President Trump has once again unleashed verbal threats toward Iran.

[Trump / U.S. President: "Iran will not have nuclear weapons. If they do, they will face a disaster like hell."]

While the possibility of further revisions remains before the signing ceremony on the 19th, the disclosure of this MOU draft is intensifying backlash not only within the U.S. but also from Israel.

(Video Editing: Park Chun-bae)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.