A new round of negotiations between Iran and the United States is expected to begin Friday in Switzerland, with a view to reaching a definitive agreement, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Aragci announced, a few days before the official start of the memorandum of understanding between the two sides.
Speaking at a meeting with foreign diplomats, broadcast by Iranian state television, Aragci said the official activation of the memorandum would take place next Friday and described as a major element of the first phase "the announcement of the end of the war".
"A new round of negotiations between Iran and the United States to reach a final agreement is likely to begin on Friday," said Iranian diplomacy chief.
According to him, talks will take place in Switzerland and will focus mainly on the Tehran nuclear programme in the final stage.
Warning to Israel about Lebanon
Aragchi also sent a clear message to Israel, arguing that any new Israeli attack on Lebanon or the continuation of Israeli military presence on Lebanese territory would be considered a violation of the agreement with the United States.
"Any Israeli attack on Lebanon or possession of Lebanese territory will be considered a violation of the agreement with America," he said.
These statements come while Israel has made it clear that it intends to maintain military forces in Lebanon, despite reports by mediators and Tehran that the American-Iranian agreement includes a ceasefire and on the front between Israel and the pro-Iran organisation Hezbollah.
"The sides of the deal are US and Israel against Iran and Hezbollah"
The Iranian Foreign Minister presented the agreement as a settlement that concerns not only Washington and Tehran but also their allies in the region.
"From our perspective, the two sides of this memorandum are the United States and Israel on the one hand and Iran and Hezbollah on the other," he said.
As he argued, perhaps the most important point of the memorandum is "the immediate and permanent cessation of war on all fronts, including Lebanon".
Hezbollah had launched attacks on Israel a few days after the start of the war between the US, Israel and Iran, with Israel responding with air strikes and expanding its land operations on Lebanese territory.
The full content remains unknown
Despite the public positions of the parties involved, the full content of the memorandum of understanding has not yet been made public.
As a result, it remains unclear exactly what commitments the two sides have made, what the framework of the nuclear negotiations will be and what the role of Israel and Hezbollah will be in the process of implementing the agreement.
Official details are expected to become known after the signing ceremony scheduled for Friday in Switzerland.