Despite Claims of $25 Billion Release, Tehran Has Not Decided on Memorandum of Understanding

Reuters news agency, citing a senior official of the Islamic Republic, reported that Washington has agreed to release $25 billion of Iran’s frozen assets, as well as to the dilution of enriched uranium stockpiles inside Iran.

According to the Reuters report, which cites sources close to the Islamic Republic, the financial resources in question are to be made available to the Islamic Republic through a combination of cash transfers, cooperation from regional countries, and credit lines, an issue that has been among the most contentious focal points of the negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

Concurrently, Fars News Agency, citing an “informed source close to the negotiating team,” reported that the Islamic Republic has not yet made its final decision regarding the text of the proposed memorandum of understanding (MoU), and that the evaluation of its political, legal, and technical dimensions is ongoing at various levels.

Meanwhile, a Qatari delegation has arrived in Tehran to continue the exchange of messages between the two sides. This marks the second visit by a Qatari delegation to Iran in recent days and has taken place within the framework of Qatar’s mediation in the negotiations.

Esmaeil Baghaei, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic, also emphasized that the memorandum under discussion is not a “final agreement” between Iran and the U.S., stating that this document would merely be a framework for ending the war and continuing talks on disputed issues.

He also announced that this memorandum of understanding will not be signed on Sunday, though he did not rule out its signing in the coming days. According to Baghaei, the issue of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program is slated to be reviewed over a 60-day period in subsequent negotiations.

These remarks come at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump had previously stated that the agreement between the two sides would be signed on Sunday, after which the Strait of Hormuz would immediately reopen to international shipping.

Nevertheless, officials of the Islamic Republic have so far announced no specific time frame for signing the memorandum of understanding, and media outlets close to the ruling establishment continue to report on the ongoing review of the proposed text.