As 60-day MOU expires, the US and Iran are even further apart than before

The deal that US President Donald Trump signed at Versailles in June set an ambitious 60-day deadline for ending the war with Iran and reaching an accord on its nuclear program.The deadline was Monday, and the two sides are further apart than they were then.Talks, such as they are, have focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting a US blockade on Iran, both of which were supposed to have happened under the interim deal. There has been no sign of any compromise on the strait, or that detailed nuclear talks have even begun.The US, meanwhile, has no good options for getting out of the war it started alongside Israel.Acceding to Iran’s latest demands would mean giving it control over a critical international waterway that carried a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas before the war — and would be tantamount to admitting defeat. Escalating the deeply…
A 60-day Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in June between the US and Iran, aimed at ending the war and resolving Iran's nuclear program, has expired with both sides further apart. The agreement sought to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift a US blockade on Iran, but these provisions have not been met. Instead, Iran began firing on vessels and the US retaliated, leading to a restoration of the blockade and mutual accusations of violating the agreement. Iran has since demanded the lifting of the blockade, withdrawal of US forces, and war reparations, while insisting on controlling the Strait of Hormuz. The US, rejecting these demands, is relying on economic pressure, but the ongoing conflict has battered Iran's economy and threatens global oil prices. Pakistan, a key mediator, expressed hope for an extension, with its Foreign Ministry spokesman stating, "We are not closing the chapter."
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