Iran deal moving to ‘second stage’, final talks expected this week: Trump
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US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the recently agreed framework with Iran is moving into a "second stage", expressing confidence that the process would succeed and stressing that the United States would not be investing money in Iran.
"We have our deal done with Iran, and it should be successful. It goes to a second stage, which I think would be actually easier," Trump told reporters during the G7 summit in France.
His remarks came as Iran signalled that negotiations on a final agreement are expected to begin later this week.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said talks aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement covering Tehran's nuclear programme are likely to start on Friday.
"Likely on Friday, at a location to be determined, a new round of negotiations between Iran and the United States to reach a final agreement will begin," Araghchi said during a briefing with foreign diplomats broadcast on state television.
According to both US and Iranian officials, an interim memorandum of understanding has already been electronically signed by leaders from both countries. A formal in-person signing is expected on Friday, although Iranian officials have indicated that details regarding the location and format are still being finalised.
Trump said the text of the agreement would be released after the formal signing.
"The deal's all signed," he said after arriving in Evian, France. "Probably pretty soon. I would say sometime after Friday. I think sometime in the very near future."
The US president also said that the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy shipping routes, is already partially open and would be fully reopened after the agreement takes effect.
"On Friday, it'll be completely open," Trump said.
US Vice President JD Vance said the memorandum itself would not trigger any immediate financial concessions to Tehran.
In interviews with ABC News and CNBC, Vance stressed that no frozen Iranian assets had been released as part of the agreement and that sanctions relief would depend on Iran taking verifiable steps regarding its nuclear programme.
"There's been no money released, and that won't change," Vance said.
He added that sanctions relief would only follow if Iran allowed international verification and took steps to eliminate its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
"If we see the Iranians taking action to allow the kind of verification regime that we need to see to know that they're not going to build a nuclear weapon, yes, sanctions relief will follow," he said.
Vance also said Washington expects the Strait of Hormuz to remain open without transit tolls in the long term.
"Our expectation is that the Strait is going to be opened in a toll-free way for the long term," he said, adding that technical details would be discussed in the next phase of negotiations.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi confirmed that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf would participate in the formal signing of the interim agreement. However, he said discussions were continuing over where and how the signing ceremony would take place.
The framework agreement is seen as the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since the conflict began following US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February. While it establishes a pathway toward ending hostilities and reopening key shipping routes, negotiations on a comprehensive settlement, including Tehran's nuclear programme, are expected to continue over the coming weeks.