In a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart on Thursday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot expressed Paris’ full support for the diplomatic process and the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US.
He also stressed the importance of making use of the opportunity to strengthen peace, stability, and sustainable security across the region.
For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi referred to the provisions of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding and stressed the responsibility of the US to play an effective role in ending the war and halting hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon.
Pointing to opportunities created by the Islamabad MoU for expanding relations between Iran and France, particularly in the economic and trade sectors, Araqchi emphasized the need for firm and comprehensive support by the international community and international institutions, including the United Nations Security Council, for the implementation of the MoU and for supporting the peaceful processes resulting from it.
The two senior diplomats also emphasized the importance of safe navigation and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law and described preserving the security and stability of the strategic waterway as essential for peace and international trade.
The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States was signed in the first minutes of June 18, 2026, by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump through a simultaneous digital process without an in-person ceremony.
Iranian officials described the document as a political framework designed to end the imposed US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran and create a pathway toward a comprehensive final agreement. The memorandum was finalized after weeks of negotiations and signed in both Persian and English.
The agreement’s first article provides for the immediate and permanent termination of military operations between Iran, the US, and their respective allies across all fronts, including Lebanon, and commits the parties to refrain from future military action or threats of force. The memorandum also stresses respect for Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, while negotiations on a final agreement are scheduled to conclude within a maximum period of 60 days and are expected to culminate in a binding United Nations Security Council resolution.
The memorandum establishes a phased economic and maritime mechanism under which Washington undertook to begin lifting restrictions affecting Iran, including measures related to oil exports, banking transactions, insurance, transportation, access to frozen assets, and the removal of the naval blockade according to agreed timelines. In parallel, Iran committed to facilitating secure commercial navigation through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and to coordinating future maritime arrangements with Oman and other regional littoral states in accordance with international law.
On the nuclear issue, the memorandum reaffirms Iran’s stated position against pursuing nuclear weapons while opening a negotiation track on enrichment, sanctions relief, and arrangements concerning enriched materials under a mutually agreed mechanism and International Atomic Energy Agency supervision. Pending the final agreement, Iran is to maintain the current status of its nuclear program, while the US is to refrain from imposing new sanctions or deploying additional military forces in the region.