TEHRAN, Iran: The Iranian foreign ministry on Wednesday said that Tehran was considering a plan for the presidents of the United States and Iran to sign the peace deal during a ceremony in Switzerland on Friday to end the Middle East war.
“So far, our plans for the Geneva meeting have not changed,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said. “Regarding the signing of the memorandum of understanding, one idea is that it be done by the presidents of the two countries, which is currently under review.”
Tehran had previously said the United States and Iran would be represented by Vice President JD Vance and Parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, respectively.
The US and Iran are set to begin negotiations on a final peace settlement in Switzerland on Friday, marking a significant step towards lasting stability in the Middle East following months of Pakistan-led diplomatic efforts.
The talks will begin immediately after the formal signing of a framework agreement at the Burgenstock resort overlooking Lake Lucerne, with negotiators expected to work towards a comprehensive deal covering Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions relief and broader regional security issues.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that a new round of negotiations between Tehran and Washington would begin on Friday.
“Likely on Friday, a new round of negotiations between Iran and the United States to reach a final agreement will begin,” Araghchi said.
“In the final agreement, decisions will be made on the nuclear issues and the lifting of sanctions.”
Speaking at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Evian, France, Trump said he had spent the past two days discussing the agreement with allied leaders and had received overwhelming support for the deal.
Trump said that a copy of the US-Iran agreement has been sent to Israel.
“The deal we reached with Iran will be signed shortly; tomorrow or maybe the next day,” he said.
“Iran will neither produce nor procure a nuclear weapon,” Trump reiterated. He added that a copy has been sent to Israel.
Trump thanks Pakistan, Qatar for mediation
Trump expressed gratitude to Pakistan and Qatar for their role in mediating the peace process.
“I want to thank our partners in both Pakistan and Qatar; these people worked so hard,” he said.
“And they knew them (Iran) a little bit, in the case of Pakistan, quite well; in the case of Qatar, they were sort of at odds.”
Trump said leaders attending the G7 summit had welcomed the agreement because they wanted to see the conflict brought to an end.
“They all put out statements saying they love this deal, because they want to see it over,” he said.
Trump also thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for being “neutral” during the US-Israel war on Iran.
“I just want to thank them because they made it a lot better,” Trump said, adding that China was “terrific” and made efforts to help settle the conflict.
