Even as ceasefire frays, Trump and Iran shy away from full war
The United States and Iran are escalating their tit-for-tat strikes, posing the biggest threat yet to their framework deal.
WASHINGTON — A short-lived ceasefire between the United States and Iran is giving way to spiraling violence, barely three weeks after the two sides reached a memorandum of understanding that President Donald Trump has since declared is “over.”
“I’m not sure I want to make a deal with them,” Trump told reporters Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, adding that Iran’s leaders were “scum” and he might reimpose a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
That the truce is unraveling so soon after its June 17 signing is unsurprising, experts say. In rushing to secure an exit from the war, negotiators produced a vaguely worded 14-point memorandum of understanding that didn't resolve the two countries’ core disputes.
The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as the biggest spoiler. Paragraph five of the memorandum called for Iran to arrange for the “safe passage” of commercial vessels toll-free for 60 days, before working with Oman and other Gulf states to determine the strait's future administration.
