Donald Trump may decide to release a preliminary deal to end the war with Iran before Friday, US Vice-President JD Vance says, after the US president said the agreement had already been signed.
Vance has described the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the US and Iran as “about a page and a half” and a “very general” document.
Senior US officials have also begun giving some details about the deal, briefing that the Strait of Hormuz would re-open on Friday – the same day the deal is formally inked in Geneva.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi confirmed a new round of negotiations on reaching a final peace deal with the US would begin in Switzerland the same day.
It comes as Trump attends the G7 summit in France, which will on Tuesday host a special session about Iran attended by the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
On Monday, during talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump said: “I am very happy to say it’s signed, the deal is all signed”, referring to the preliminary agreement.
US officials said it had been signed electronically by Trump, Vance and Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Technical talks on Iran’s nuclear programme are expected to begin this week, the officials said, while any sanctions relief or release of assets will depend on Iran meeting commitments under the deal.
Vance told NBC News that nuclear inspectors would “absolutely” be allowed back into Iran as part of the deal.
“One of the core parts of the agreement is that the [International Atomic Energy Agency] and the United States are going to help Iran destroy the highly enriched stockpile – and that’s something that’s spelled out very clearly.”
