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President Trump announced that a deal with Iran has been reached and the Strait of Hormuz would be opened immediately.
Iran, however, does not appear to be treating the matter as a finalized deal.
A statement from the Secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council indicates that additional steps remain before any final agreement is reached.
“The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding will be officially held on Friday, June 19,” according to the statement. “Negotiations for a final agreement will be postponed until after the other party has fulfilled its obligations under the Memorandum of Understanding.”
It is significant that Iran has acknowledged the framework of a deal but it is not in fact a done deal.
Iran’s conditions continue to include Lebanon, meaning Israel must cease its bombing campaign and military operations there. As he has on multiple occasions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon, casting doubt on whether those conditions can be met.
This comes after Israel bombed a residential neighborhood in Beirut on Sunday, claiming to be targeting Hezbollah. President Trump condemned the attack, sort of, saying that it “should not have happened” on a day that he was negotiating a peace deal with Iran. Not that it should not have happened full stop. Just not today.
Republicans are excitedly praising the so-called “deal” as a diplomatic victory but how many times are they going to count those chickens? Iran’s own statement suggests that what exists today is a memorandum of understanding, not a final agreement.
This deal is like Groundhog Day. As long as it is contingent on Israel’s cooperation, it is not a done deal.