President Trump is defending a high-stakes “Memorandum of Understanding” (MoU) intended to end the conflict that erupted between the U.S. and Iran in early 2026. While the situation is fluid and highly controversial, Trump is confident that a deal is almost finalised.
​The deal, described by Trump as the “exact opposite” of the 2015 Obama-era JCPOA, reportedly focuses on immediate security and maritime stabilization rather than just long-term nuclear enrichment limits.
Reports (The New York Times) suggest the U.S. is considering the release of $20 billion in frozen Iranian assets.
However, President Trump has publicly pushed back on this specific detail on Truth Social, claiming that “no money will exchange hands” and that the U.S. will instead focus on receiving Iran’s nuclear “dust.”
Reopening the Strait is the primary economic driver for the U.S. and its allies. The waterway has been effectively closed since early March 2026, causing a global energy crisis. The deal would require Iran to allow free navigation, though Tehran currently insists on maintaining “supervision” over the route.
The President argues that he is solving a problem his predecessors failed to address and that the new deal will permanently prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He has instructed Secretary of State Marco Rubio not to “rush into a deal,” emphasizing that the U.S. holds the leverage of the blockade.
Some Republican hawks, like Senator Ted Cruz, have expressed concern that releasing billions in assets to a regime that still supports proxies could be dangerous. Conversely, Iranian hardliners are threatening to cancel the agreement if the U.S. continues to “obstruct” the release of their funds.
The current 72-hour window for final signatures is considered critical. If these “last-minute disputes” over the $20 billion and the oversight of the Strait of Hormuz aren’t resolved, the fragile ceasefire established in April 2026 could collapse.
