New Iran Deal Awaits President Trump’s Approval

In breaking news, a potential deal has been struck between the United States and Iran and is now awaiting President Trump’s approval. If he signs off, it would initiate a 60-day extension to the ceasefire, keep the Strait of Hormuz open, and allow for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program to go into effect.

But with Iran already conducting more attacks, the question still looms as to whether we can ever trust them to honor any agreement.

As reported:

The U.S. and Iran reached an agreement on a memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire and begin negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program, according to a new report.

Citing U.S. officials, Axios detailed that terms are mostly agreed and Iranian officials said they had the necessary approval from the top brass. Iran has not confirmed such a development.

After learning about it, Trump relayed to mediators that he wants “a couple of days to think about it,” a U.S. official told the outlet.

The piece went on to detail that the memorandum would see “unrestricted” shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and Iran would have to remove all mines from the key waterway within 30 days. The U.S. would also lift its naval blockade as commercial shipping is restored.

Iran would also make a commitment to not pursue a nuclear weapon, officials added. The nuclear program would be discussed during a 60-day period, which would include the disposal of the country’s enriched uranium.

The U.S., in turn, would also commit to discuss sanctions relief and the release of frozen funds, as well as a mechanism to help the country receive goods and humanitarian aid.

The White House has so far rejected reports about the content of the document. It dismissed one by Iranian TV outlining parts of it.

“This report from Iranian controlled media is not true and the MOU they ‘released’ is a complete fabrication. Nobody should believe what Iranian state media is putting out. FACTS MATTER,” the White House’s rapid response account said in a social media publication.

Hostilities have continued in the meantime. U.S. forces said they shot down four Iran one-way attack drones and targeted a ground control station inside the country that posed a direct threat to them and commercial shipping.

Axios got the scoop on this, reporting that the U.S. and Iranian negotiators have reached an agreement. And now it is up to President Trump to give the final approval on said deal. What we’re hearing is that it is being called a 60-day “memorandum of understanding” – basically a pencil agreement between the two countries – that would extend the ceasefire as well as set the framework for negotiations to go forward toward a concrete agreement that would also address Iran’s nuclear program.

In other words, this particular agreement would not be a final agreement; however, it would be the very critical first step toward getting to a final deal and to ending the conflict in Iran.

But right now, we’re still waiting to see if they will even get to this “memorandum of understanding.” Can the United States really make a deal with the Iranians, given their track record for violating previous agreements over and over again?

We’ve already seen new skirmishes, where Iran launched drone strikes at ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz. They also fired a ballistic missile toward a U.S. military base in Kuwait. All were intercepted and taken out before they reached their intended targets. However, that seems very much the contrary to the spirit of an agreed-upon ceasefire now on Iran’s part.

Clearly, we can’t trust the IRGC. We don’t trust the Iranian leadership there. So where does that really leave us? How much faith can we put into negotiations? All we can do is trust our President and his team, who are going into this clear-headed, and knowing that whatever deal they make must have the right mechanisms to enforce it.

Today’s Sekulow broadcast included more analysis of this alleged deal struck between the United States and Iran. We were also joined by ACLJ Senior Associate Counsel Nathan Moelker to discuss a critical court filing the ACLJ just submitted after a federal judge tried to strip the President of his Executive authority regarding sanctions.

Watch the full broadcast below: