June 12: Iran says MoU with US nearing completion, while reaffirming red lines and military readiness

Iranian officials on Friday confirmed that negotiations have moved closer to a potential Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the US, reporting progress on major parts of a draft agreement while reaffirming Tehran’s strict adherence to its red lines.

The day also saw the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy confront a tanker attempting to illegally transit the Strait of Hormuz in violation of Iranian security directives.

Iranian military and political officials further stressed the country’s readiness to respond to any threat or aggression by the US and Israel.

Meanwhile, Tehran condemned recent US attacks on Indian merchant vessels off the coast of Oman and renewed its support for Lebanon amid continued Israeli attacks on the country.

Key developments on day 105 of the war, the 65th day of the ceasefire:

• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a memorandum of understanding with the United States has never been closer to completion, signaling significant progress in ongoing talks between the two sides.
• In a TV interview late on Friday, Araghchi said the role of diplomacy is to consolidate achievements made on the battlefield, adding that diplomacy and field work closely together, while thanking the armed forces and people.
• A report citing an informed source close to the Iranian negotiating team rejected recent claims by US President Donald Trump and certain foreign media outlets that a final agreement is ready to be signed in Geneva on Sunday.
• Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also said that major sections of a potential understanding aimed at ending the imposed war are close to completion, despite Washington’s contradictory positions and repeated acts of military aggression aimed at disrupting the diplomatic process.
• Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a final text for a peace agreement between Iran and the United States has been reached and that Islamabad is working with both sides to "finalize the next steps."
• IRGC stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran now stands in a more powerful, more prepared, and more deterrent position than ever before, maintaining complete intelligence dominance over enemy movements and remaining with fingers on the trigger, fully ready to deliver a decisive, immediate, painful, and regret-inducing response to any threat, aggression, or miscalculation.
• Sounds of explosions heard in Sirik County were caused by the IRGC Navy confronting a deviant oil tanker that attempted to illegally transit the Strait of Hormuz in violation of Iranian security directives.
• President Masoud Pezeshkian said the nation will defend its independence and territorial integrity despite threats and pressure amid US-Israeli aggression.
• Hassan Fadlallah, a member of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc in the Lebanese Parliament, said any agreement between Iran and the US will have direct consequences for Lebanon, regardless of whether Lebanese authorities accept it.
• Deputy Army Commander for Coordination Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari vowed that Iran will exact vengeance for the 104 sailors martyred in the unprovoked US torpedo attack on the frigate Dena, describing the assault as a cowardly act of terrorism that international bodies have refused to condemn.
• Senior national security officials from the UAE and Iran reportedly held a “face-to-face meeting” for the first time since the illegal US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic, Bloomberg reported.
• The Israeli regime continued its relentless violations of the April ceasefire, launching multiple airstrikes, drone attacks, and artillery shelling on several towns and villages across southern Lebanon.
• Iran condemned attacks carried out by the US earlier this week on three merchant vessels carrying Indian crew members off the coast of Oman, saying the American “maritime piracy” poses a serious threat to international shipping.
• New Delhi strongly protested the illegal US military attacks targeting Indian-manned merchant vessels. Indian crew members on board came under attack from American military forces, resulting in the deaths of three Indian seafarers.
• The US is obligated to adhere to FIFA regulations regarding the issuance of visas, Iranian national team manager Mehdi Mohammadnabi said, as ongoing visa denials disrupt Team Melli's preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
• A pro-resistance hacktivist group, Handala, announced that it has breached California water facilities in direct retaliation for a US airstrike that destroyed drinking water reservoirs in southern Iran.
• Handala said that it also breached drones of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States and threatened to target the ongoing World Cup. The group stated they had access “for months” to “every image and every suspect” captured by first-person view (FPV) drones used by the FBI.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir