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Welcome to The Logoff: We finally have more details on Donald Trump’s Iran deal, and the reviews are not positive.
What do we know? A copy of the deal, or MOU – memorandum of understanding – was released yesterday via the mediafollowing several days of unrest after Trump announced a peace deal, without explanation, on Sunday.
It’s a quick 14 points that ends the immediate conflict everywhere – including Lebanon, which as my colleague Joshua Keating reportscould be an ongoing problem – and pave the way for continued negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
The US, for its part, is opening the Strait of Hormuz again, or at least the opening – but after 60 days, Iran’s promise of free passage expires. If it ends, Iran has suggested it may start charge unspecified fees cross a narrow stream. (US naval sanctions against Iran were also lifted on Thursday.)
Some other details haven’t gone down well — including Republican senators.
The fund and the exemption of restrictions are depending on the final contract reached, according to the MOU – but Iran will have new income sooner than that: the MOU also states that the US provide export exemption of Iranian oil immediately after its signing, allowing the country to sell its oil more widely and at a higher price.
Like St. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) put it on thursday“It’s hard to say that the deal is one that leaves Iran in a worse position, and the United States in a better position.”
Also, bad news for Vice President JD Vance: In his speech Wednesday, Trump joked that “If it works, I’ll take the credit. If it doesn’t work, I blame JD.”
And so, it’s time to leave…
Hello readers, happy fake Friday! Logoff goes off tomorrow the eleventh, so we’ll wrap up with one good thing (and one World Cup thing) and send you off into the weekend. Today, it is This powerful speech from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the Knicks’ championship parade in Manhattan.
Plus, from the world of the World Cup: Merlin the duckwho is cheering for Mexico.
Have a great long weekend, and we’ll see you back here on Monday!
