President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and a top Iranian official have signed a memorandum of understanding that could mark the beginning of a broader agreement between the United States and Iran, according to senior U.S. officials.
Officials said Monday that Trump and Vance electronically signed the memorandum on Sunday, while Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, speaker of the Iranian Parliament, signed on behalf of Iran. The contents of the agreement have not yet been released publicly, but administration officials said details are expected within the next 24 to 48 hours.
The memorandum is being described as a preliminary step toward a more comprehensive agreement, with detailed negotiations expected to begin later this week.
“The agreement is only the first step,” one senior official said, adding that “real technical discussions” will begin in the coming days and will be led by Vance.
In an interview with ABC's “Good Morning America” on Monday, Vance emphasized that any sanctions relief would be tied directly to Iranian compliance with the agreement.
“We’ll be releasing the text this week, and what everybody will see is that Iran doesn’t get a dime of money unless they perform their obligations, and the money that we’re talking about is fundamentally sanctions relief,” Vance said.
Trump reinforced that message while meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron during the Group of Seven summit in France. According to officials, Trump said the full agreement would be released “sometime after Friday.”
A formal signing ceremony is planned for Friday in Geneva, Switzerland. Vance and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, are expected to attend. Trump suggested he would not be present for the event.
Administration officials also stressed that the United States will maintain its current military posture in the Middle East throughout a 60-day negotiation period as talks continue.
One official noted that commercial activity in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz has already begun to increase.
“Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has already increased and will ramp up slowly over time,” the official said.
Officials confirmed that Iran has not yet received any frozen assets from the United States or other countries. However, they indicated that limited sanctions relief and access to funds could be offered if Iran demonstrates compliance with its commitments.
“We are prepared to release frozen funds, and we are prepared to release sanctions,” one official said. “And we’ll do some small gestures of that in the beginning, if they make some small gestures to us that show that they’re willing to meet their commitments as well.”
Another official dismissed speculation that separate arrangements could be made through Gulf nations to provide Iran with financial relief outside the agreement.
“They’re very supportive of this,” the official said, calling the idea “not just unlikely, but preposterous.”
Officials also clarified that the agreement does not require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon. Instead, the proposed arrangement centers on a ceasefire framework.
“The deal is a ceasefire, and it will not be a one-way ceasefire,” an official said. “If Iran is not able to control Hezbollah, and if they attack Israeli positions or Israeli towns, Israel will have the right to defend themselves and respond.”
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