Trump Holds Off Iran Strike Over Hormuz Deal
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- Trump repeatedly threatened major attacks on Iran over the last two weeks, with multiple outlets reporting he was mulling a bombing campaign that would almost certainly trigger retaliatory strikes against U.S. bases and regional allies.
- Trump announced late Saturday that a deal was in the works to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and that he would hold fire for the time being.
- Iranian leaders, regional mediators, and U.S. officials have sounded cautiously upbeat about a potential Iran-Oman deal to divvy up management of the critical chokepoint.
- Reopening the Strait of Hormuz was one of the original objectives of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding reached in June, and a new compromise could revive negotiations that collapsed when the MoU acrimoniously fell apart in July.
- Previous disagreements over what both sides had agreed to suggest that even if a Hormuz deal succeeds, complex issues including a regional ceasefire, economic relief for Iran, and Iran's nuclear program still lie ahead.
Why it matters: If the Hormuz compromise succeeds, it could revive broader U.S.-Iran negotiations that collapsed when the June memorandum of understanding acrimoniously fell apart in July, but the source flags that prior disagreements over what was actually agreed suggest this is a fragile first step that leaves a regional ceasefire, economic relief for Iran, and Iran's nuclear program unresolved.
