The War.
Winning and losing.
1. The best that could be hoped for at this stage of the Iran/Gulf war was an agreement to (1) re-open the Strait of Hormuz (relatively) quickly and (2) negotiate the rest of the “issues” later.
And….guess what?
The New York Times:
President Trump said in a social media post on Saturday, without elaborating, that the United States was close to reaching an agreement with Iran toward ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
There was no formal response from Iran. But three Iranian officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said that Tehran had agreed to a memorandum of understanding that would stop the fighting on all fronts and reopen the strait.
Mr. Trump provided few details about the preliminary agreement, which he said was “largely negotiated.” It was unclear whether the latest negotiations would succeed in extending the current cease-fire or break down over sticking points that have kept the war unresolved for months.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump said he had spoken by phone with several Arab leaders about a memorandum of understanding “pertaining to PEACE.” He said the agreement was “subject to finalization” by the United States, Iran and other countries.
“Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” he wrote.
As of Saturday night, it remained unclear exactly what Mr. Trump and Iran had agreed to — or if they had agreed to much at all.
Axios seems especially well-informed on the terms of the memorandum of understanding:
The agreement the U.S. and Iran are close to signing involves a 60-day ceasefire extension during which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, Iran would be able to freely sell oil, and negotiations would be held on curbing Iran’s nuclear program, according to a U.S. official.
The deal would avoid an escalation of the war and decrease the pressure on the global oil supply. However, it’s unclear whether it will lead to a lasting peace agreement that also addresses President Trump’s nuclear demands.
Both Trump and the mediators have indicated the deal could be announced on Sunday, though it has not been finalized and could still fall apart.
