Albares hopes the signing of the US-Iran agreement will open “a path to peace throughout the Middle East”

Eduardo González Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares described the signing of the agreement between the United States and Iran as “good news” on Thursday and expressed his hope that it will contribute to “opening a path to peace and stability beyond the Gulf, throughout the Middle East.” “The signing of the agreement between the United States and Iran is good news, an agreement that should allow the Strait of Hormuz to be opened freely, safely, and without any problems, without any kind of payment or fee,” Albares stated during his participation in the third edition of the Mediterranean Economic and Social Forum, “A Sea of Commitments,” organized by Prensa Ibérica at the Science Museum in CosmoCaixa Barcelona. This agreement, he continued, “should also pave the way for diplomacy and negotiation to resolve the remaining outstanding issues, including the Iranian nuclear issue, and open a path to peace and stability beyond the Gulf, throughout the Middle East.” “A peace that must come to Lebanon, with respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that must guarantee that Palestine and Israel can coexist, mutually guaranteeing peace and security,” he added. For his part, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez welcomed the signing of the peace agreement on Thursday, speaking to the media in Brussels on the occasion of his participation in the June European Summit. The summit will address, among other issues, the latest developments in the Middle East, with particular attention to the conflict in Iran and its repercussions on energy prices, the dramatic situation in Gaza and the West Bank, and the events in Lebanon, including EU support for the ceasefire and for the Lebanese state and its people. According to Sánchez, this agreement vindicates Spain's position "in the sense that, clearly, we must cease these hostilities, which have caused immense suffering for thousands of people who have lost their lives and millions who have been displaced as a result of the war, as well as the impact in terms of inflation, rising energy prices, lost economic growth and job creation, and the deterioration of living conditions suffered by countless citizens of Europe and Spain." “In short, let’s hope this happens and from Spain we will do everything in our power to help it take hold,” he added. The Memorandum of Understanding was initially scheduled to be signed tomorrow, Friday, in Zurich, but US President Donald Trump preempted the signing on Wednesday, affixing his signature to the document during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles. This can be seen in a video circulating on social media, showing the US president signing the agreement alongside his French counterpart and then personally handing it to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The signed text was then mailed to Tehran, where it was signed by the President of the Islamic Republic, Masoud Pezeshkian. It is currently unknown how the text signed by the two leaders differs from the one digitally signed this past Sunday by US Vice President JD Vance and the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Therefore, the memorandum has already entered into force, although it has not yet been officially published. According to White House sources, the agreement consists of fourteen points, ends the war against Iran launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel, and orders the “immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts (including the Lebanese front).” Furthermore, the text reaffirms the commitment to Lebanon's territorial integrity, demands that Tehran destroy its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, provides for the (currently temporary) suspension of sanctions against Iran, and allows toll-free transit through the Strait of Hormuz for two months. Following the signing, a sixty-day period begins to reach a final agreement on the Iranian nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions. During this period, Iran commits to guaranteeing free transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and the United States commits to suspending the naval blockade against Iranian ports within 30 days and, should a final agreement be reached, to lifting all sanctions against Iran, releasing frozen assets, and developing a $300 billion reconstruction plan.

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