Tangent
The war showed Iran it has a new tool to exert leverage over its enemies: shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. intelligence assessments found, CNN reported last week, citing anonymous sources. Iran’s lead negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also said last week in an interview with state broadcaster IRIB that closing the key oil passage is “a potential capacity that had never been activated . . . but our enemies—God created them fools—turned that potential into reality,” he said.
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Crucial Quote
“This is not a document the United States agreed to because the war demonstrated a new U.S. military superiority,” MIT professor Caitlin Talmadge told The New York Times of the memorandum of understanding. “I think it’s a document that has resulted from the fact that the United States bit off more than it could chew and doesn’t want to escalate.”
Big Number
69%. That’s the share of respondents in a new CBS poll who said the conflict with Iran was not worth the costs for the U.S. Among Republicans, 42% said the agreement to end the war is about equally as beneficial for Iran as it is the U.S.
Key Background
U.S. and Iranian negotiators concluded an initial round of talks in Switzerland on Monday. The negotiations address a number of outstanding issues in the memorandum of understanding signed last week, including the future of Iran’s nuclear program and lifting of U.S. sanctions. Pakistani and Qatari media said the negotiators made “encouraging progress.” Vice President JD Vance announced Iran had agreed to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to resume nuclear inspections. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said Monday the U.S. issued a 60-day license allowing Iran to sell oil.
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further reading
Trump Says Iran Is ‘FINISHED’ After Cancelled Negotiations — As Israeli Attacks Threaten Deal (Forbes)
‘They Do As I Say’ Trump Says Of Israel Amid Disagreement Over Iran Deal (Forbes)
Some Republicans Finally Express Support For Trump’s Iran Deal—Without Praising It (Forbes)
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