Tehran, June 17: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that negotiations between Iran and the United States on a final agreement will begin on Friday following the two sides’ official signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to end the war, according to the official news agency media.

Araghchi made the remarks at a meeting with foreign diplomats in the Iranian capital Tehran while elaborating on the peace MoU that was finalised on Sunday between Iran and the United States, Xinhua news agency reported..

“The new round of negotiations between Iran and the United States on reaching a final agreement will probably begin on Friday at the venue that will be decided,” he said, explaining that owing to the difficulties in reaching an agreement between Iran and the United States that resulted from the US and Israeli “criminal aggression” against the country, “we ultimately decided to divide the negotiations into two stages.”

He said the first stage pertained to the finalisation of an MoU on issues such as the war’s end, the Strait of Hormuz, US anti-Iran naval blockade, Iranian frozen assets and the reconstruction of war damages, adding that in the second stage, negotiations will continue for a 60-day period to reach a final agreement on nuclear issues and the removal of sanctions on Iran.

Araghchi noted that in the first stage, the most important thing that will happen is the declaration of an end to the war, stressing, “Based on the decision we made, the end of the war was also announced on Monday morning when the agreement was finalized, but the official start of the MoU will be on Friday.”

The minister said the “immediate and permanent” end of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, is perhaps the most important issue in the MoU, noting that owing to the connection that the war in Lebanon and Israel’s “aggression” against southern Lebanon found with the war against Iran, and the fact that the two fronts became somehow connected to and dependent on each other.

Araghchi described the war’s end in Lebanon as an “inseparable” part of the Iran-US peace MoU, stressing “The war’s end also includes the end of (Israel’s) occupation. The war’s end is not complete without the Israeli forces’ withdrawal from the (Lebanese) territories they occupied in this war.”

Araghchi emphasised that from now on, Iran considers any military attack by Israel against Lebanon and the continued occupation of the Lebanese territories a violation of the peace MoU.

The United States, Pakistan and Iran early Monday announced the finalisation of the MoU on ending the war following weeks of negotiations, adding that it will be officially signed in Switzerland on Friday.

On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the region.

United Nations, June 16: The UN General Assembly (UNGA) convened its fifth interactive dialogue with a candidate for the position of next UN secretary-general.

During the dialogue on Monday, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former UNGA president and former foreign minister and defence minister of Ecuador, nominated by Antigua and Barbuda in May, presented her vision statement and answered questions from UN member states and civil society representatives regarding her leadership abilities, experience and skills, UN reform, and the three pillars of the United Nations — peace and security, human rights, and development, Xinhua news agency reported.

In her vision statement, Espinosa said she seeks the office of UN chief at a moment when the world does not need another restatement of multilateral ideals but needs results: a United Nations that prevents crisis earlier, responds more coherently, delivers more effectively, and restores confidence in the value of collective action.

She said her vision is organised around five interconnected pillars of transformation — peace and security, development, digital and energy transformation, closing the delivery gap, and rebuilding credibility.

“This is not an extensive comprehensive action plan, because comprehensive political and financial leadership must come from the Member States. Rather, it highlights areas where the Secretary-General can act most effectively within her remit to restore UN credibility and confidence by delivering results,” Espinosa said.

In late April, the UNGA conducted a two-day interactive dialogue with four candidates for the next UN chief: Michelle Bachelet, former Chilean president and former UN high commissioner for human rights, nominated by Brazil and Mexico; Rafael Grossi, current director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, nominated by Argentina; Macky Sall, former president of Senegal, nominated by Burundi; and Rebeca Grynspan, economist and former vice president of Costa Rica, nominated by Costa Rica.

The term of Antonio Guterres, the current and ninth secretary-general of the United Nations, will expire at the end of this year. The next UN secretary-general will take over the role on January 1, 2027.

Los Angeles, June 16: A US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave Desert, the base said.

The crash occurred on Monday at approximately 11:20 a.m. local time, the base wrote on X.

Emergency response teams were immediately dispatched to the scene, and response operations remain ongoing.

In a separate post on X, the military base announced that the airfield was closed and all inbound aircraft were being diverted, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Today, Edwards Air Force Base experienced a terrible tragedy, and we lost eight great Americans,” Col James Hayes told reporters, describing them as a “mixed crew of military, government civilians and government contractors”.

All non-commercial visitor passes were suspended until further notice to allow the installation to focus entirely on emergency response operations, the base said.

B-52 Stratofortress was carrying eight people and crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base, with no survivors reported, the base said.

The aircraft was on a routine test mission, the base said on X. The crash sent a huge plume of black smoke into the air that could be seen for miles.

“Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable,” the base said.

Officials are working to account for all personnel involved. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The B-52 is a long-range strategic bomber that has been participating in bombing raids on Iran during the latest US-Israeli war on the country.

Capable of flying at up to 50,000 feet (commercial airliners fly around 35,000 feet) the colossal bomber’s 70,000lb payload can include hundreds of conventional bombs and 32 nuclear cruise missiles.