President Donald Trump on Friday announced that he is preparing “to make a final determination” on a memorandum of understanding to end the Iran War and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as a ceasefire to the conflict entered its 52nd day on Friday.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said that Iran’s “enriched material” must “be unearthed by the United States… in close coordination and conjunction with the Islamic Republic of Iran, plus the International Atomic Energy Agency, and DESTROYED.” Drop Site News, citing a senior Iranian official, reported last Friday that, although Iran will only engage in nuclear talks at a later phase of any deal, Iran would be willing to suspend enrichment above 3.6 percent for 10 years and dilute existing higher-enriched uranium inside the country under international supervision.
In the same post, Trump appeared to announce the end of the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, writing that “Ships caught in the Strait due to our amazing and unprecedented Naval Blockade, which will now be lifted, may start the process of “heading home!” Trump also said that “no money will be exchanged” between the U.S. and Iran.
Iran indicated skepticism toward Trump’s new statement and has not ruled out the possibility of more U.S.–Israel strikes, with one official saying that Iran “cannot regard President Trump’s decision as definitively finalized until the financial markets close at the end of this week.”
An Iranian official told Al Jazeera on Friday that Trump’s Truth Social post, by announcing the lifting of the blockade, had addressed “the first condition before moving to the next steps” of the memorandum of understanding.
The New York Times, citing three anonymous U.S. officials, reported that the Trump administration is seeking alternative financing mechanisms in order to funnel money to Iran without direct payments.
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Iran’s Tasnin News Agency had reported Sunday that the first phase of the memorandum of understanding being considered to end the war would include the U.S. lifting its blockade of Hormuz and waiving sanctions on Iranian oil during the negotiation period, allowing Tehran to sell oil without restrictions. The deal also reportedly includes “an understanding in which the end of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, is emphasized.” In exchange, Iran would allow vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz at “pre-war levels,” but according to Tasnim, Iran would retain control over the waterway, saying that “despite some Western media reports,” the “Strait of Hormuz situation will not return to pre-war conditions.”
Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon killed at least 55 people Wednesday and 25 people Thursday, while the IDF said that one soldier in northern Israel was killed by a Hezbollah drone attack. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said Friday that Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed at least 3,355 people.
Brent Crude oil traded at $92 on Friday while gas prices remained elevated but also below recent peaks, with AAA reporting the national average price of regular gas at $4.39.
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