'Hormuz to Open Immediately Upon Signing': What Will Be in US-Iran MOU If Reached?

As U.S. President Donald Trump announced that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war with Iran could be signed as early as this weekend, attention is focused on what the MOU will contain.

Based on remarks made by President Trump during a Q&A session with reporters at a White House event on Thursday, June 11 (local time), he claims that the signing of the MOU between the U.S. and Iran could take place in Europe as early as this weekend.

President Trump also mentioned that the signing could potentially take place on Saturday, June 13.

As soon as it is signed, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened immediately.

When asked if the U.S. military's naval blockade against Iran would be lifted immediately, President Trump replied, "Yes."

Regarding Iran's possession of nuclear weapons, the MOU is expected to contain principled and declaratory language.

Detailed nuclear negotiations regarding the disposal of Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpiles, the dismantling of nuclear facilities, and whether to maintain enrichment programs are expected to take place after the MOU is signed.

"Iran will not have nuclear weapons. They agreed to that," President Trump emphasized, adding, "Iran will not have, buy, or develop nuclear weapons in any form."

President Trump avoided mentioning the timeframe for nuclear negotiations with Iran following the MOU.

When asked about the deadline, President Trump said that the nuclear negotiations would proceed quite quickly but added, "I don't want to talk about a deadline. If I say a deadline, they'll say (later), 'Oh, he missed the deadline,' won't they?"

President Trump described it as a "very strong and detailed MOU," while also admitting that it is "somewhat conceptual."

Generally, an MOU outlines the summary, framework, and direction of what will be included in a final agreement in anticipation of future resolution of key issues; because it is not legally binding, it sometimes lacks specificity.

The draft MOU, which the U.S. and Iran had initially agreed upon at the working level, included opening the Strait of Hormuz immediately, extending the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran by 60 days, and initiating the denuclearization of Iran in earnest during that period.

However, President Trump reportedly did not approve the draft MOU, pointing out on May 29 that it needed to contain more specific and stronger details regarding Iran's nuclear commitments and the promise to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

For this reason, there are observations that the MOU, which is now reportedly close to being finalized, could contain more specific details regarding the disposal of Iran's highly enriched uranium (HEU) or the suspension of further enrichment, compared to the previous draft that was close to the initial agreement.


President Trump did not mention the release of frozen assets demanded by Iran.

According to Reuters, Iran reportedly demanded the immediate release of $6 billion to $12 billion (approximately 9 trillion to 18 trillion won) out of its $100 billion (approximately 152 trillion won) in frozen assets during recent negotiations with the U.S.

Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency also reported that Iran would not enter final negotiations unless the U.S. first releases a portion of Iran's frozen assets immediately after the signing of the MOU.

If the differences between the U.S. and Iran have narrowed enough to sign an MOU as early as this weekend, it is possible that the U.S. has signaled at least some conciliatory measures regarding the lifting of sanctions against Iran and the release of frozen funds.

Having previously criticized the Barack Obama administration for handing over "pallets of cash" to Iran, President Trump was reportedly in favor of releasing the funds in phases solely for the purchase of humanitarian goods.

President Trump stated that if an MOU signing ceremony takes place, Vice President J.D. Vance, his eldest son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will attend.

He said he would not be attending.

President Trump, whose birthday is on Sunday, June 14, plans to watch a UFC fight at the White House before departing for France to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit.

Observers say it remains to be seen whether the final details of the MOU will be ironed out within a few days to be signed as early as this weekend, as promised by President Trump.

For now, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has stated that nothing has been finalized.

However, some Iranian media outlets have reported a high likelihood of a deal being reached.

Israel, which entered the war alongside the U.S., has stated that it will not participate in the MOU.

However, given that President Trump listed Israel on Truth Social as one of the parties that approved the discussions between the U.S. and Iran, attention is focused on whether Israel, while excluded as a signing party, will be involved as a "de facto" party affected by the MOU, a supporter, or a guarantor of its implementation.

CNN reported that a breakthrough in the peace talks between the U.S. and Iran was achieved after a negotiating team from Qatar, the mediator, visited Tehran on Wednesday, June 10, and continued discussions until the early morning of Thursday, June 11.

The U.S. online media outlet Axios also reported that Qatar and Iran believed they had reached an agreement during their talks that would be acceptable to the U.S.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.