Iran says Israel is main obstacle to US memorandum implementation

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that Israel is the biggest obstacle to implementing the memorandum of understanding signed between his country and the United States.

Speaking at a meeting of education directors across Iran, Araghchi added that the United States began violating the memorandum less than two weeks after it was signed, as it aligned with Iran’s interests, according to Al Hadath.

The foreign minister emphasized that the diplomatic achievement of reaching the memorandum was not due to himself or the foreign ministry, stating, “This was a victory for the Iranian people. It was the result of resistance shown during the war, which forced the enemy to accept Iran’s demands.”

Washington and Tehran had signed a memorandum of understanding on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz as a step toward a final agreement, but its implementation stalled due to disagreements over the strait’s security.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate against Israel and what it described as American sites in the region, before a ceasefire agreement was reached in April.

This comes after the deadline for Tehran and Washington to reach a final agreement under the memorandum, signed on June 17, passed yesterday. The memorandum set a 60-day period to reach a deal covering broader issues such as the future of Iran’s nuclear program and US sanctions on Tehran.