Iran-US memorandum ‘has never been closer’: Iranian FM

Tehran: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday said that Tehran is very close to finalising a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) amid the ongoing negotiations with the US.

“The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has never been closer. Pending its finalisation, the media should refrain from entering speculation about its content,” Aragachi wrote on X.

“In line with our responsible and transparent approach, all details will be shared with the public in due course,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed not to let Iran have nuclear weapons until he serves as Israel’s PM, adding that he and US President Donald Trump “are in complete agreement on this issue.”

In a statement posted on X, Netanyahu stated, “As long as I am Prime Minister of Israel — Iran will not have nuclear weapons. There is full agreement between me and President Trump on this issue. For over 30 years, I have been at the forefront of the international campaign against Iran’s nuclear programme.”

“Had it not been for this campaign, Iran would long ago have had atomic bombs to destroy Israel. Iran is working to destroy the Jewish state, and I dedicate my life to preventing them from doing so. As long as I am Prime Minister of Israel, this will not happen,” he added.

Netanyahu’s statement comes a day after US President Donald Trump said that Iran has approved a framework agreement with the United States that would permanently bar Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, raising expectations that a formal signing could take place within days.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said negotiations had reached the final stage and that documents were being prepared for what he described as a major diplomatic breakthrough following weeks of conflict.

“We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran, and we’re going to be subject to finalisation of documents, which should get done over the next few days,” Trump said. “We have a deal that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, which was the whole purpose of what we had to go through to get this.”
IANS