Terms of Iran-US peace memo mostly work to Tehran’s advantage: Pezeshkian
President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that the clauses of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Iran and the United States last week to end war were mostly to the benefit of Iran, and the tangible achievements of the ongoing negotiations would soon become fully apparent to the public.
Addressing an economic conference in Tehran, Pezeshkian said that $6 billion worth of Iranian funds held in Qatar would be released as a direct result of the MoU, IRNA reported.
His remarks came as senior US and Iranian officials met in Switzerland for talks on how to implement the agreement.
The president noted that CBI Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati was attending the negotiations to determine exactly how those assets would be allocated to domestic sectors to drive economic growth.
Pezeshkian clarified that the sole point raised by the United States was that Iran must not possess an atomic bomb.
He reaffirmed that this position aligned perfectly with Tehran’s existing policy, as the late leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei had repeatedly stated over the years that Iran did not want or intend to make nuclear weapons.
“When the US requested to put this long-standing declaration in writing, the Iranian side proceeded to sign the agreement.”
The president added that other negotiated items had also been agreed upon during the lifetime of the late leader, emphasizing that Iran had not and would never back down from its fundamental right to uranium enrichment, which the opposing side had been forced to accept.
Pezeshkian also said that war was not in anyone’s interest, yet warned the enemies that the Armed Forces were fully prepared to defend the country and that Iran had no fear of war.
“This does not mean that we are afraid of war. Members of the Iranian Armed Forces, serving either in the Army or the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), as well as the people of our country, have shown that they stand strong, and will continue resiliently if the war drags on,” he said.
Iran and the US signed the 14-point MoU on Wednesday, which calls for a permanent end to hostilities across all fronts, including Lebanon, oil export waivers, the lifting of the US naval blockade on Iran within 30 days, and the restoration of commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The two sides also agreed to hold talks on removal of sanctions on Iran and the country’s nuclear program during a 60-day period.