The United States and Iran agreed on a principle pact to reduce and continue negotiating the war in the Middle East, and to end the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
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This was explained by a senior U.S. official to The New York Times, although some of the most delicate issues had not yet been resolved and it was not expected that they would be finalized this Sunday. It is clear that there is no regime change.
It is already known that with this administration in Washington the meaning of words is variable. In the case of Donald Trump, even more so.
On Saturday he issued a statement in which he took the pact with Iran for granted while guaranteeing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. He promised an announcement “soon.”
“Negotiations are progressing in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush to reach an agreement since time is on our side,” the U.S. president qualified this Sunday with a more cautious tone, especially due to the criticism generated among Republican hawks who compared what was emerging with the denounced pact, from their perspective, signed by President Obama.
“If I make a pact with Iran, it will be good and appropriate, not like Obama’s,” Trump replied to the criticism. “Negotiations are not finished yet, so don’t listen to the losers who criticize something they don’t know. And I don’t make bad deals,” he emphasized.
The nuclear issue, summarized as Iran renouncing and being banned from obtaining the atomic bomb, seems to remain unresolved for now, except for promises, pending further negotiations. Although no one doubts that Trump will claim victory, preventing uranium enrichment has been the only permanent justification on the White House agenda for a war approaching three months (with six weeks of ceasefire), 6,000 deaths, and a severe blow to the global economy. Ultimately, the success is to unblock Hormuz, which was open when the U.S. and Israel launched this war.
In that waiting situation, hope remained to lay the foundations for lasting peace. “Some news will come soon,” emphasized Marco Rubio, Secretary of State. Only details were missing, he qualified.
The pact includes opening the strait without tolls, concessions to Iranian oil, and 60 days to address the nuclear issue
As Axios reported, the pact consists of a 60-day extension of the ceasefire with relief for the global economy and the Iranian economy in particular, thanks to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz without tolls and Iranian ports, the granting of sanction exemptions for Iranian oil, and room for more detailed negotiations on nuclear matters.
U.S. officials told that outlet that “Iran gave the White House, through mediators, verbal commitments about the scope of concessions it is willing to make regarding the suspension of uranium enrichment.
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The agreement would also end Israel’s related war in Lebanon, an issue on which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “expressed concern” to Trump.
On his social network, Trump amplified a message attributed to his Iranian counterpart Massoud Pezeshkian indicating that “we are ready to assure the world that we are not pursuing the nuclear weapon.”
Trump echoing this message reinforced the idea of the framework pact, although there was still no official Iranian confirmation.
Although, among others, the U.S. and Israel killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the autocratic regime in Tehran remains in power, and more repressive than before, if possible. This does not mean that after the devastation it will emerge stronger. But a emboldened Iran is also presenting the memorandum in advance as a victory.
The first to issue a statement was Netanyahu, who said he had spoken with Trump about what he described as a memorandum of understanding to “reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the upcoming negotiations for a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.” The Israeli leader confessed that both leaders agreed that any pact must force Iran to dismantle its nuclear facilities.
If negotiators manage to reach an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to traffic without tolls, that would eliminate a major problem created by Trump, whose domestic political prospects have been harmed by the skyrocketing gasoline prices and other economic consequences derived from the war and blockade. Whether the conflict achieves the goals declared by Trump would largely depend on the outcome of future nuclear talks.
The Iranian president says “we are ready to assure the world that we are not seeking the nuclear weapon”
It remains to be seen if the restrictions surpass those of Obama’s agreement from which Trump withdrew. Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State in Trump’s first term, received a harsh response from the White House – “he has no idea what he’s talking about” – because he considered it as bad as the one Obama signed in 2015.
“This agreement makes no sense and is doomed to fail,” replied Republican Senator Thom Tillis. “Everything achieved with Operation Fury will have been in vain!” interjected Roger Wicker, another conservative senator. His colleague Lindsey Graham, a close friend of Trump, said the regional conflict would intensify if an agreement “allows the regime to survive and become more powerful over time.” His colleague Ted Cruz, an enthusiast of attacking Iran, called such a pact with the country that “chants death to America” a disaster.
