Entered into Force: The United States and Iran Sign the Memorandum of Understanding Electronically
White House officials confirmed on Thursday that the United States and Iran electronically signed, on Wednesday, a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing that “the agreement has entered into force.”
The American news outlet Axios quoted one official as saying that “U.S. President Donald Trump personally signed the agreement.”
The official stated that Trump signed the document while attending an official dinner in France alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.
He added that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also signed the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict between the two countries.
The official further noted that the memorandum had already been electronically signed on Sunday by U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance and Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
The memorandum was originally scheduled to be signed in Switzerland on Friday. However, a diplomat from a mediating country and a source familiar with the matter told Axios that discussions had taken place to move forward both the signing and implementation dates.
According to the diplomatic source, the discussions were intended to ensure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz before Friday, as both sides had already reached an understanding on that issue.
On Wednesday, a senior U.S. administration official read the text of the agreement to journalists during a media conference call after several days of debate regarding its contents.
Iran, for its part, also confirmed that it had signed the agreement with the United States.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated that both parties signed the agreement after agreeing that the text would be issued in electronic form and signed by the presidents of the two countries.
The official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Baghaei as saying:
“The drafting of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has been completed with the signatures of the two presidents. The time has now come to test the implementation of this agreement.”
He added that Friday’s meeting in Switzerland was not intended for the signing of the agreement and that a decision regarding the meeting’s details was expected within hours.
Despite the agreement having entered into force, the meeting between the American and Iranian delegations is still expected to take place on Friday in Switzerland, led by U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
According to the sources, the meeting is expected to focus on launching negotiations concerning Iran’s nuclear program.
