Trump Weighs Iran Deal as Tentative Agreement Hangs in the Balance

US President, Donald Trump, gathered with senior aides in the White House Situation Room to make what he called a “final determination” on a potential agreement with Iran. The deal could end months of military conflict and reopen one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.

U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement this week to open the Strait of Hormuz and begin nuclear talks, though Trump has not yet signed off on it and Iranian officials have not publicly commented on the potential deal.

According to U.S. officials, the draft memorandum of understanding would see the Strait of Hormuz fully reopened over the course of 60 days, with Iran gradually loosening its grip on the waterway while the U.S. simultaneously pulls back its naval blockade.

Iran’s chief negotiator offered a guarded response to the emerging framework. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that in negotiations with the United States, “we have no trust in guarantees or words — only actions are the measure.”

The talks come against a volatile backdrop. Iran and the U.S. traded blows overnight, with each side accusing the other of ceasefire violations. American forces in Kuwait were the suspected target of an Iranian missile strike, while Tehran said it had targeted a U.S. base responsible for earlier strikes on Bandar Abbas, an Iranian port city near the Strait of Hormuz.

The war began on February 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched massive joint strikes targeting Iranian military, government, and infrastructure sites.