The USA-IRAN MOU Explained:
Article by Article
Everything inside the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran — in plain language, with nothing left out.
On June 19, 2026, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding — a framework agreement that ends active hostilities, halts Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and sets the stage for the most sweeping diplomatic reset between the two countries in decades.
This document is not a final peace treaty. It is a 14-article interim agreement — a commitment by both sides to stop fighting now, unfreeze economic ties, and spend the next 60 days negotiating the permanent deal that follows. Think of it as a handshake written down in legal language, with real consequences attached to each clause.
This article walks through every single article of the USA-IRAN MOU, explains what it actually commits each side to, and addresses the questions most people will have. You can read the full original document here.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a formal agreement that records what two parties have agreed to do — but is typically a stepping stone toward a full, legally binding treaty. In diplomacy, it signals serious intent and carries political, if not always strict legal, weight. In this case, Article 14 specifies the final agreement will be approved through a binding UN Security Council resolution.
The Full USA-IRAN MOU, Article by Article
The document obtained by CNN from a US official and due to be formally signed on June 19, 2026 contains 14 articles. Here is what each one actually says — and what it means.
Upon signing, both countries — along with their respective allies — declare an immediate and permanent end to hostilities on every front, including Lebanon. Neither side can launch any hostile action or even threaten the use of force against the other. This ceasefire isn’t provisional; the word “permanent” is used. The final agreement will formally confirm this commitment.
Both sides commit to respecting each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to staying out of each other’s internal affairs. In practical terms, this means the US commits to not funding or encouraging internal opposition movements inside Iran, and Iran commits to not directing its proxies against US interests.
Both parties agree to negotiate and reach a comprehensive final agreement within 60 days. That deadline is extendable by mutual consent, but the clock starts the moment the MOU is signed. This is the engine of the whole document — everything else buys time and goodwill for those 60 days of talks.
Immediately upon signing, the United States must lift its naval blockade of Iran. It must also stop any interference with Iranian shipping and restore traffic to pre-war levels within 30 days. This clause directly addresses the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which roughly 20% of global oil supply passes. After the final agreement, US forces must withdraw from surrounding areas within 30 additional days.
Iran’s reciprocal obligation is to ensure merchant ships can move freely between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman within 30 days, restoring shipping to pre-war volumes. This includes clearing any mines Iran may have placed and removing other “technical obstacles.” The Strait of Hormuz corridor is specifically implicated here — Iran had threatened or effected closures that disrupted global energy markets.
The United States, together with regional partners, commits to creating a comprehensive economic development and reconstruction plan for Iran, funded by at least $300 billion. The details — which partners, what financing mechanisms, and the implementation schedule — will be hammered out within 60 days as part of the final agreement. This is the biggest economic carrot in the deal and represents a historic reversal of decades of economic pressure on Tehran.
The US commits to ending, on a schedule agreed in the final deal, every single sanction facing Iran — UN Security Council resolutions, IAEA Board of Governors resolutions, and all US unilateral primary and secondary sanctions. This is the most sweeping sanctions-relief offer ever made to Iran. Secondary sanctions — which penalise non-US companies for doing business with Iran — have been a particularly devastating tool. Their removal would reopen Iran to global trade.
Iran formally reiterates its position that it will never produce nuclear weapons. The fate of Iran’s existing enriched uranium stockpiles and all other nuclear-related questions — including what level of enrichment Iran can maintain for civilian purposes — will be worked out in the final agreement. This is deliberately vague on the details, but the headline commitment is explicit and public.
Until the final agreement is reached, both sides freeze in place. Iran will not advance its nuclear program beyond its current state. The US will not impose any new sanctions or build up its military forces in the region. This creates a stable environment for the 60-day negotiation window.
Effective immediately after signing, the US Treasury Department will issue waivers allowing exports of Iranian crude oil, petrochemical products, and their derivatives. All related services — banking, insurance, shipping, logistics — are also covered by these waivers. Iran’s oil revenues, frozen since sanctions tightened, start flowing again before the final deal is even signed.
As negotiations progress, all frozen or restricted Iranian funds and assets held globally will be released and made fully available. Iran’s Central Bank will have full discretion over how those funds are used. The US will issue all necessary permits and licenses to make this happen. This is the financial dimension of the sanctions relief, and it represents potentially hundreds of billions of dollars returning to Iranian control.
Both sides agree to establish a formal mechanism to oversee implementation of the MOU and the eventual final agreement. The structure and composition of this body will be defined in the final deal. It is designed to prevent either side from quietly backsliding on its commitments.
Iran and the US will only enter formal negotiations for the remaining final-agreement articles after Iran receives assurances that Articles 4, 5, 10, and 11 are actually being implemented — meaning the blockade is being lifted, shipping is resuming, oil waivers are issued, and frozen funds are being released. Iran will not simply take US promises at face value; it requires visible action first. This is a significant show of Iranian negotiating leverage.
The eventual final agreement will be approved through a binding resolution of the UN Security Council. This matters enormously: it means the deal isn’t just a bilateral promise between two governments, but a piece of international law backed by the full authority of the Security Council. It also means any future US administration would face enormous international pressure not to unilaterally withdraw — a lesson learned from the JCPOA’s collapse in 2018.
Analysis
What the USA-IRAN MOU Actually Means in Practice
Taken together, the 14 articles represent a transaction with clear terms. Iran agrees to stop fighting, stop advancing its nuclear program, and allow free passage through its waters. The US agrees to stop blockading, stop sanctioning, unfreeze Iran’s money, and fund a $300 billion reconstruction. Neither side gets everything it has historically demanded, but both get the most important thing: the war stops.
Articles 4 and 5 are mirror images of each other. The US ends its naval blockade; Iran clears its mines and re-opens the Strait of Hormuz. This single waterway carries roughly one-fifth of globally traded oil. Its closure had already sent energy prices surging worldwide. Both sides had an economic incentive to reopen it, and the MOU formalises that mutual interest. The 30-day timeline is ambitious but not impossible.
Article 13 is the clause that shows who has the upper hand in the sequencing. Iran is essentially saying: the US must start acting on four specific articles before formal final-agreement talks begin. That is a significant demand — it means Iran can observe whether the US is serious before committing to the harder conversations about its nuclear program’s future.
Article 14 is arguably the most consequential long-term provision. Anchoring the final deal to a UN Security Council resolution was deliberately chosen to prevent the fate of the 2015 JCPOA, which the Trump administration withdrew from in 2018. A Security Council resolution cannot be undone by a single country — it requires a new resolution to modify, and that requires the consensus of permanent members.
The MOU explicitly defers some of the hardest questions. How much uranium can Iran enrich for civilian purposes? Which regional partners will fund the $300 billion? What happens to Iran’s existing enriched stockpile? Which specific UN sanctions are lifted first, and on what schedule? These are the items the 60-day final-agreement negotiation must resolve — and they are where the deal could still unravel.
What Happens When
The USA-IRAN MOU Timeline
Frequently Asked Questions
USA-IRAN MOU: Your Questions Answered
Read the Full USA-IRAN MOU
The original 14-article Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran, obtained by CNN from a US official and due to be formally signed June 19, 2026.
⬇ Download the Full MOU (PDF) View Strait of Hormuz Map →The Bigger Picture
Why the USA-IRAN MOU Is a Historic Pivot
For more than four decades, US-Iran relations have been defined by hostility, sanctions, proxy conflicts, and near-misses. The MOU does not erase that history. But it is the most substantive diplomatic document between the two countries since the 1981 Algiers Accords that freed American hostages — and it is far more ambitious in scope.
The $300 billion reconstruction pledge, the full sanctions removal, and the UN Security Council anchor all signal that both sides intend this to be durable. The 60-day clock is tight, and the unresolved nuclear specifics are genuinely difficult. But the architecture of the deal — ceasefire first, economic normalisation second, hard nuclear questions third — is designed to build momentum rather than demand everything at once.
Whether the final agreement is reached on time, and whether it holds, will depend on domestic politics in both countries, the role of regional partners, and the goodwill built or lost in the weeks after signing. For now, the war has stopped. The Strait of Hormuz is opening. And the most consequential US-Iran negotiation in living memory has formally begun.