U.S. War, But Allies Foot the Bill? Concerns Rise Over Peace Agreement

[Anchor]

The $300 billion "Iran Reconstruction Fund" included in the recent peace agreement has sparked concerns that the United States is shifting the reconstruction costs of a war it initiated onto its allies. The fact that the agreement leaves room for Iran to impose tolls in the Strait of Hormuz is also a point of contention.

Reporter Kang Min-woo has the story.

[Reporter]

Article 6 of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the end of the war, released by the U.S., states that "The United States will work with regional partners to develop a final, mutually agreed-upon Iran reconstruction and economic development plan of at least $300 billion."

The phrase "work with regional partners" has led to interpretations that the U.S. intends to raise the funds—amounting to approximately 465 trillion won—from its allies rather than from its own coffers.

[Vance / U.S. Vice President: We will encourage other nations, not the United States, to invest in Iran. This will only be possible if Iran strictly adheres to the terms of the agreement.]

Previously, Reuters also cited U.S. government officials as saying that companies in the U.S. and Asia have already agreed to raise more than $150 billion, with South Korean companies also being mentioned.

Concerns are growing that the U.S., which started the war unilaterally without prior information sharing with its allies and placed a massive burden on the global economy, is now passing the costs of war recovery onto the Middle East—which suffered from retaliatory attacks—and private companies in allied nations.

[Cho Han-bum / Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification: It would be very unfavorable for us if we are forced to invest in projects with low profitability, or if the U.S. takes all the prime opportunities. That is the kind of scenario being painted.]

Article 5 of the MOU, which allows civilian vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz "without any cost for only 60 days," is also controversial.

Given that toll-free passage through the strait is limited to the 60-day period during which the final peace agreement is being negotiated, the U.S. is expected to face criticism for leaving the door open for Iran to impose some form of transit fee in the future.

(Video Editing: Kim Jun-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.