TEHRAN, June 12 (HS/RIA Novosti) - Iran will not begin negotiations on resolving the nuclear issue until the United States fulfills a number of conditions, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported on Friday after publishing a draft memorandum on ending the conflict between Tehran and Washington.

Final negotiations will not begin until half of the blocked funds ($24 billion) is released, oil sanctions against Iran are suspended and the maritime blockade is lifted, Mehr reported. The final agreement will deal exclusively with the fate of Iran’s enriched materials, enrichment activities and sanctions relief, the news agency added.

Negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program are to begin only after a memorandum on ending the conflict is concluded, the report said. Once the memorandum is finalized, the United States would reportedly be required to fully lift the maritime blockade within 30 days, release $12 billion in blocked Iranian funds, remove sanctions on Iranian oil exports and present a reconstruction plan for Iran worth at least $300 billion.

As part of a final settlement, separate from the conflict-ending memorandum, Iran is demanding the removal of both direct US sanctions against Tehran and secondary sanctions affecting Iran’s cooperation with other countries, Mehr reported.

On February 28, the US and Israel began striking targets on Iranian territory, with the attacks claiming more than 3,000 lives. On April 8, Washington and Tehran announced a ceasefire, which remains formally in effect. Parallel to this, a negotiation process is underway between Iran and the US, with the countries attempting to finalize a framework memorandum of understanding. At the same time, the parties occasionally exchange isolated strikes.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar