Iran and U.S. to open final talks after peace memorandum

By Nathan Morley

After weeks of talks a peace agreement between the US and Iran is expected to be signed in Switzerland on Friday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said negotiations on a final agreement with the United States will begin on Friday, once the two sides formally sign a memorandum of understanding to end the war.

He made the comments in Tehran during a briefing for foreign diplomats, outlining the peace memorandum that Iran and the United States finalized on Sunday with Pakistan’s mediation.

Washington, Islamabad and Tehran confirmed early Monday that the MoU had been completed after weeks of talks and will be signed in Switzerland on Friday.

However, the Financial Times reported that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is unlikely to return to normal immediately, despite the agreement to reopen the key waterway. The paper cited the head of tanker operator Mitsui OSK Lines.

The conflict began on Feb. 28, when Israel and the United States launched joint strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities. 

Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases across the region.

In other developments, Israeli forces carried out new strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, despite renewed criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump over its actions there.

Lebanon’s National News Agency said Israeli jets hit the Nabatieh al‑Fawqa area and the outskirts of nearby Kfar Tebnit.

Violence in southern Lebanon has eased since the announcement of the U.S.–Iran memorandum, which is also expected to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. 

But at least five people have been killed by Israeli fire since the deal was made public.