U.S.-Iran End-of-War Negotiations Gain Momentum, Signing Possible as Early as This Weekend

[Anchor]

Negotiations to end the war between the United States and Iran, which faced a critical juncture following two consecutive days of armed clashes, are gaining rapid momentum. There is speculation that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war could be signed as early as this weekend.

Reporter Kim Young-ah has the story.

[Reporter]

U.S. President Donald Trump has abruptly canceled the third day of airstrikes on Iran that he had previously signaled.

In doing so, he stated that the negotiations to end the war, which had been a tug-of-war with Iran, have effectively reached a deal.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President: We have reached a very good agreement regarding the war with Iran. We will finalize the documentation soon, and it will be completed within a few days.]

He also mentioned that a signing ceremony for the memorandum of understanding could be held in Europe as early as this weekend.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President: We might hold it (the signing ceremony) in Europe over the weekend. I will not be attending, but Vice President Vance will be there.]

Iran's Fars News Agency reported that the U.S. has accepted the original draft of the MOU proposed by Iran, and that approval from the supreme leadership is highly likely.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson also acknowledged that the agreement is nearly finalized.

[Esmaeil Baghaei / Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: Regarding the text of the agreement, I can tell you that most of the document has been nearly finalized.]

Following the downing of a U.S. military helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. and Iran engaged in their largest armed clashes on June 9 and 10, just two months after a ceasefire was established.

As the end-of-war negotiations faced a potential collapse, a Qatari delegation flew to Tehran for overnight mediation, leading to a sudden turnaround in the situation.

U.S. media outlets reported that the MOU is expected to include the immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz without transit fees, a 60-day extension of the ceasefire including Lebanon, a pledge by Iran to abandon nuclear weapons development, and the reduction of enriched uranium levels under UN supervision.

In particular, it is known that the agreement includes a provision to restore transit volume in the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within 30 days, which is expected to allow 24 South Korean vessels to depart sequentially.

However, there are differences between the U.S. and what Iranian media outlets emphasize is included in the MOU.

Iranian media reports that the agreement also includes the return of frozen Iranian funds, the lifting of oil export sanctions, and a promise for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from areas surrounding Iran.

While Trump claimed that Israel also approved the agreement with Iran, it was reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was surprised upon hearing of Trump's social media announcement and had not been informed of the details of the agreement in advance.

(Video Editing: Cho Mu-hwan)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.