Wednesday, June 17, 2026

This is Different

This is the actual MoU, from TIME.

1 — The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in the current war, by signing this MOU, declared ["declare"] the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other and ensuring ["ensure", "to ensure"]  the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon and other provisions of this paragraph.

[This binds Israel now and in the future and maybe Hezbollah, if considered an "ally" of Iran.

[undertake: to take upon oneself : set about : ATTEMPT (bold in original)--Merriam-Webster]

2 — The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran undertake to respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to refrain from interfering in each other's internal affairs.

["We'll try!"]

3 — The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran commit to negotiating and achieving the final deal in maximum 60 days, expendable with mutual consent.

["Expandable". My God Trump, are you even literate? "Commit", "to carry into action deliberately", is much stronger than "undertake". Why in the name of Allah would either Iran or the U.S. agree to two words with similar, but not identical, meanings used in two successive paragraphs? Because all that they agree to "carry into action deliberately" is negotiating.  ]

4 — Immediately upon the signing of this MOU, the United States of America will begin the removal of its naval blockade and any disturbances or impediments against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will fully end the naval blockade within 30 days. During this period, the traffic of vessels will be in proportion to the numbers of pre-war traffic being restored by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America further undertakes to remove its forces from the proximity of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final deal.

[This sentence as a whole does not make sense: "During this period, the traffic of vessels will be in proportion to the numbers of pre-war traffic being restored by the Islamic Republic of Iran." In addition, "proportion" is ambiguous. Does it mean "an equal share" (Merriam-Webster 2 a)? Or does it mean merely the mathematics, "the relation of one part to another or to the whole with respect to magnitude, quantity, or degree" (Merriam-Webster 3)?  3-1 is a proportion. So is 1-3. "Proportion" in the third sense is not fixed.]

5 — Upon the signing of this MOU, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versaThe traffic of commercial vessels will immediately start, and considering the need for removing the technical and military obstacles and demining by the Islamic Republic of Iran, will be instated ["set or install"] within 30 days. The Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz, in discussion with other Persian Gulf littoral states in line with the applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.

[This is so KEY. Iran will not charge "for 60 days only"!]

6 — The United States of America undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least USD $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The mechanism for the implementation of this plan will be finalized as part of a final deal within 60 days. All required licenses, waivers, and permissions needed for the relevant financial transactions will be granted by the United States of America.

[Contradictory terms, "undertakes' (try) and "will" (deliver). Trump loves to (try to] bind other political entities without making them a party to what binds them. According to the language, America will try, along with regional partners,...Who the fuck are they? Name them, Trump. Query: If America tries, but fails with the regional partners, is America on the hook for $300B? U.S. responsibility the whole $300B is referenced in the last sentence, which mentions that financial greasing "will be granted by the United States of America."]

7 — The United States of America undertakes to terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the United Nations Security Council resolutions, IAEA Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral U.S. sanctions—primary and secondary—in an agreed upon schedule [see paragraph 8] as part of the final deal. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America acknowledge the critical importance of the sanctions termination issue above mentioned and expressed their intentions to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.

8 — The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms ["Reaffirms" is stronger than "reiterates.] that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran have agreed to resolve the disposition of stockpile enriched material pursuant to a mechanism that will be mutually agreed upon in accordance with the schedule mentioned in paragraph seven, [no fixed schedule, both paragraphs] with the minimum methodology to be down blending [diluting] on site under the supervision of the IAEA. The two parties also agreed to discuss the issue of enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear needs, based on a satisfactory framework being agreed upon in the final deal. The final deal will confirm the provisions of this paragraph. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran acknowledged the critical importance of the nuclear issues above mentioned and expressed their intention to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.

9 — Pending the final deal, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran agree to maintain the status quo. The Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program and the United States of America will not impose any new sanctions and will not deploy additional forces in the region.

10 — The United States of America undertakes that immediately upon the signing of this MOU and until the termination of sanctions, the U.S. Department of Treasury will issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and derivatives, and all associated services, including banking transactions, insurances, transportation, etc.

[Again, the contradictory terms, "undertakes' (try) and "will" (deliver)]

11 — The United States of America undertakes to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Upon the implementation of the MOU, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will mutually agree on the procedures related to the release of these funds during the negotiations. Such funds, whether retained in the original account or transferred, shall be made fully usable for payment to any ultimate beneficiary designated by the central bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. [That is clearer than the language in Bloomie's MoU] The United States of America undertakes to issue all the necessary licenses and authorizations accordingly.

[Merriam Webster's first definition of "undertake" is above. It's secondary definition is: "to put oneself under obligation to perform". That is vastly different than to "attempt" and leaves open to disagreement which of the two is meant in the MoU.]

12 — The United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran agree that an executive mechanism will be established to monitor the successful implementation of this MOU and the future compliance of the final deal.

[I don't know what an "executive" mechanism means other than with reference to a head-of-state.]

13 — After signing this MOU, and subject to the beginning of the implementation of paragraphs 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11 of this MOU, and the continuing implementation of these measures, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will start negotiations regarding the final deal exclusively on the other paragraphs.

14 — The final deal will be endorsed by a binding United Nations Security Council resolution.

[It "will be" endorsed by the UNSC. How do they know that? Neither Trump nor Iran speaks for the UNSC. They cannot bind the UNSC.]