Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said a memorandum of understanding with the United States to end the war “has never been closer”, stressing also that media speculation about the deal should cease “pending its finalization”.
US President Donald Trump reposted the Iranian foreign minister’s statement on his Truth Social platform after earlier blasting Iran for alleged leaks to state media regarding details of the memorandum, calling the reports “fake news”.
Simon Mabon, professor of international politics at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom, has told Al Jazeera that it is “hugely important” for both the US and Iran to be able to present a possible memorandum of understanding as a win to their people.
“This is very important, but also potentially dangerous if both sides take umbrage with the idea that the other side has come out of this with the upper hand,” he said.
Iran is trying to obtain sanctions relief from the US, which it can sell as a win at home, while Trump is trying to avoid that as he has been very critical of the previous US President Barack Obama administration’s decision to release economic pressure on Iran, according to Mabon.
“The details of what’s believed to be included [in the deal suggest that] there’s not much Trump can sell as a win besides reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before the war,” he continued.
“If we listen to what Iranian officials are saying, the Strait of Hormuz is not going to go back to what it was before the war, there’s always going to be a sword hanging over it, and that’s a worrying sign for the global economy.”
Read also: PM Shehbaz to Travel to Geneva Tommorrow for Iran-US MoU Signing Ceremony
