Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends a press conference at the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi, India, on May 15. [Getty Images]
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends a press conference at the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi, India, on May 15. [Getty Images]

By Park Hye-won, The Herald Business

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has approved a memorandum of understanding with the United States to end the war between the two countries, The New York Times reported.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a nationally televised address Friday that a deal with the United States had entered its final stage and had received approval from Iran's top leadership, including the supreme leader and the National Security Council.

Araghchi said the MOU would bring an end to all wars, including the one in Lebanon, and would mark the first time in 47 years that Iran and the United States formally declared mutual respect for each other's sovereignty and governance.

He said Iran had emerged as the winner of its war with the United States, suggesting the country had secured tangible gains through the conflict and the end-of-war agreement and had come out stronger than before.

Araghchi added that as part of the agreement to end hostilities, he hoped Israel would withdraw from Lebanese territory and halt its attacks on Lebanon. "If all parties fulfill their commitments, negotiations toward a lasting peace can move forward," he said.

"An agreement has never been this close," he said, adding that a deal could come within days. "I am very hopeful."

However, Araghchi signaled a divergence with Washington over the Strait of Hormuz. He said the interim agreement with the United States would include provisions for reopening the strait and ending conflicts on multiple fronts, but added that the management of the waterway would not revert to its prewar status.

"Sovereignty over the strait belongs to Iran and Oman, and Iran will guarantee safe passage for vessels transiting it," he said, announcing that Iran would impose a "service fee" on future transits. "Our sword will always hang over the Strait of Hormuz," he added.

Iran plans to issue a joint statement with Oman — which shares the strait — on control of the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days.

The two countries plan to proceed with nuclear negotiations following the end-of-war MOU. Araghchi said in a separate appearance on Iranian state television that nuclear talks with the United States would take place at a later stage and would not proceed unless the proposed interim agreement was implemented.

He also stood firm on Iran's position that its enriched uranium would be diluted domestically rather than transferred abroad, as the United States has demanded.


klee@heraldcorp.com