President Trump on Wednesday signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Iran ending the war between the two countries but drawing heavy criticism for giving Tehran major concessions.
Trump personally signed the copy of the agreement while having dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles, and a photo of the agreement was sent to the Iranians and the mediating countries.
An official signing was supposed to take place in Switzerland on Friday with Vice President Vance. It’s unclear if there will still be an official signing.
The signing of the 14-point MOU comes after confusion swirled for days over what was in it.
It commits the U.S. and Iran to negotiate for 60 days to reach a peace deal and calls for an end to hostilities “on all fronts,” including between Israel and the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
It also says the U.S. would end its naval blockade of Iranian ports within 30 days, while Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days.
The memo says the U.S. “undertakes” with partners to develop a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran and waives sanctions to let Iran sell oil during the negotiation period.
But Trump downplayed that the deal may not be “permanent,” telling reporters in France Wednesday while at the Group of Seven summit that the 60-day period “could take longer” and isn’t a hard deadline.
“If they don’t honor the agreement, or some things aren’t even mentioned in the agreement, it’s a memorandum of understanding, but we have an understanding of certain things without writing it,” Trump told reporters.
Thehill