A senior U.S. official disclosed on Wednesday the text of the agreement between the United States and Iran, outlining terms that seek to bring a permanent end to the war but leave complicated issues to negotiate in the next 60 days.
Since the signing of the document this weekend, U.S. officials have complained that news organizations and foreign officials had mischaracterized the nature of the agreement, even as they refused to release the text.
But on Wednesday, as Mr. Trump held a news conference at the Group of 7 summit in France, a senior U.S. official read the text aloud. The details largely align with what Mr. Trump and other officials had described in recent days, providing a variety of economic incentives to Iran while Tehran agrees to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and negotiate over its nuclear program.
As expected, the deal calls for a permanent end of military operations between the two countries and in Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting. But neither Lebanon nor Hezbollah is a signatory to the agreement, and Mr. Trump expressed repeated frustration on Wednesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel over its attacks in Lebanon.
The deal also prescribes a 60-day period for the United States and Iran to continue negotiating to reach final agreement on outstanding issues, chiefly the future of Iran’s nuclear program. Some officials are skeptical that the two sides can reach a deal in such a short period, given that the two countries have already tried negotiating over the nuclear program for months before and during the war.
The agreement says the United States will end its naval blockade and that Iran will use “its best efforts” to allow for safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge in the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days.
The United States has also agreed with countries in the region to develop a plan of at least $300 billion to help with the reconstruction and economic development of Iran. The Trump administration also committed to issue waivers for Iran to export oil.
Iran reaffirmed in the text that it will not procure or develop nuclear weapons, though that is a position it has long held. It also said it would work with the United States to dispose of or dilute stockpiled and enriched nuclear material.
The United States has also agreed to make available frozen assets to Iran, though Mr. Trump and other top U.S. officials have said those assets will be made available based only on Iran’s adherence to the deal.
www.nytimes.com
