Iran Says Strait of Hormuz Will Be Under Its Control After New U.S. Agreement

The U.S. and Iran officially signed a memorandum of understanding overnight (between Wednesday and Thursday) to end the war. President Donald Trump signed the document during his visit to the presidential palace in France. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed it in his office in Tehran. The countries exchanged photographs of the document through the mediators, Pakistan and Qatar.

According to the agreement, the memorandum of understanding took effect immediately. The White House released a statement: "The president signed the memorandum of understanding during his stay in Versailles." Dan Scavino, Trump’s adviser, added a quote from Secretary of State Marco Rubio: "This is a key event in the history that we share together...".

A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that the memorandum of understanding was officially signed. In a conversation with the Tasnim news agency, the Iranian spokesperson emphasized Lebanon’s importance in the agreement. "The Islamic Republic has proven that it does not abandon its friends under any circumstances. For us, the ceasefire and the end of the war in Lebanon were and remain no less important than Iran itself." He added that Lebanon is mentioned three times in the first clause of the memorandum of understanding, which also includes a commitment to respect its territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

Regarding enriched uranium, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that "from the very beginning we made it clear that the enriched nuclear material will not be transferred outside Iran; this is not acceptable to us." In addition, he said that the removal of the naval blockade on Iran has already begun in practice.

In Iran, officials stressed that control of the shipping route will remain in its hands. "The issue of the Strait of Hormuz is the responsibility of Iran and Oman alone. The mechanisms for managing the strait were formulated to a large extent with Oman." He added that Iran will collect payment in exchange for services provided in the Strait of Hormuz, and that safe passage through it will take place while preserving the sovereignty and control of the Islamic Republic. According to him, Israeli ships or vessels carrying goods to Israel will not pass through the strait.