A signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) designed to bring an end to the U.S.-Israeli-inspired war against the Islamic Republic of Iran may not be enough to stop the fighting.
The MoU was signed by President Donald J. Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the Palace of Versailles in France at a dinner hosted by President Emmanuel Macron at the end of the highly anticipated G7 meeting of powerful nations.
By most accounts, Iran gets the better of the deal—if it holds—as the Muslim nation gets outcomes similar to or slightly better than those of a previous agreement signed by former President Barack Obama in 2015, which Mr. Trump tore up during his first term as president.
For example, the MoU does not stipulate inspections of Iran’s nuclear activities. There are, however, many “red lines” for both sides in the MoU and anger from both sides of Congress is palpable.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a Trump supporter, said the president “got very poor advice when it comes to this deal.” Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who lost his recent re-election bid to a Trump-backed challenger, in a post on X said the deal is “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.”
“This is not the art of the deal, this is the art of surrender,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in an interview on MS Now. The senator was taking a jab at Mr. Trump’s co-written 1987 book “Trump: The Art of the Deal.” He went on to describe the MoU as “one of the worst foreign policy disasters” in U.S. history.
At various moments during the G7 gathering, President Trump showed the stress of the pressure on him because of what Iran wins.
President Trump commented that it is acceptable for Iran to maintain a ballistic missile arsenal, stating it is “fair” in relative proportion to other nations. “I’m saying that if other countries have them, it’s a little bit unfair for them not to have some,” the president told reporters on June 18.
While at the G7, he also explained the decision to unfreeze some of Iran’s assets. “The unfreezing … we have taken a lot of their money. And we have their money. We have taken their money, its not our money, it’s their money and we froze it.
At a certain point in time, I guess we’re going to have to give it back. You know, if we didn’t give it back, nobody would ever invest in the dollar again,” he said, reported several media outlets.
Among other things, the 14-point MoU stipulates:
- An immediate and permanent end of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon
- Removal of the U.S. naval blockade on Iran
- Termination of U.S. sanctions against Iran in an agreed upon schedule
- U.S. will make available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of Iran.
For its part, Iran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway for oil, fertilizer and other materials and reaffirm its commitment not to develop or obtain nuclear weapons, something it had affirmed in the previous 2015 agreement. (See full MoU on page 23.)
At Final Call press time, the planned June 19 public signing ceremony with U.S. Vice President JD Vance was canceled due to Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon. Such attacks cross Iran’s red line established in the MoU. The document had been signed on June 17 by presidents Trump and Pezeshkian.
It had been argued that warring parties were playing a waiting game: Trump betting that Iran’s economy would collapse and create internal rebellion; Iran betting that the decline of the world economy would pressure the U.S. to back off so ships can flow through the Strait.
“Iran is moving from survival to ambition … using the MoU to gain power,” University of Chicago professor Robert Pape surmised on the Danny Haipong YouTube channel, pointing out that any oil that moves through the Strait now would not make it to market before the end of the year. By that time, oil reserves of most nations will be near empty.
If the U.S. or Israel violates the agreement, Iran shuts down the Strait again. “This is the escalation trap,” said Professor Pape, author of “The Escalation Trap” Substack site.
Charles Barron, an activist and former New York assemblyman and council member, said the MoU was President Trump’s way of “trying to find a graceful way out, and there was none.”
Mr. Barron, a radio host and host of the Speaking Truth to Power podcast, explained that many Republicans were against starting a war with Iran, especially as a midterm election approaches. He said the expertise of Iran’s negotiators now makes Iran a stronger regional power and an emerging world power.
The president was emboldened by his taking of Venezuela and arresting President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. “But Iran is no Venezuela or Cuba,” Mr. Barron explained. “This is further evidence of the declining American empire and we’re witnessing the birth pains of a new world order.”
Observers suggest that any final agreement will not differ significantly from Mr. Obama’s 2015 plan, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). A major contention by opponents of the MoU is a $300 billion reconstruction plan—demanded by Iran prior to the agreement—and who will pay for it?
Under the MoU, $300 billion is separate from the U.S. commitment to issue waivers for Iranian oil exports and allowing access to frozen funds immediately after the agreement is signed. In contrast, the JCPOA provided for a more gradual lifting of sanctions, with many non-nuclear sanctions remaining in place.
Observers also quickly point out that Mr. Trump’s claim that Mr. Obama gave a planeload of cash to Iran is misleading. It was Iran’s money.
A Yahoo.com “fact check” article points out the money “represented a settlement of a decades-old legal dispute over $400 million Iran had paid the U.S., before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, for military equipment it never received, plus about $1.3 billion in interest.”
Israel: America’s friend or foe?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been vocal about his MoU opposition and his commitment to attack Lebanon, which has caused death and destruction with its actions being compared to the regime’s genocide in Gaza. Public disputes between Mr. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu have grabbed headlines in recent weeks. Whether Israel will relinquish before the MoU totally collapses is the question.
According to reporting by NBCnews.com, on June 16 at the G7, President Trump said, “Without me, there would be no Israel,” and reportedly also called Prime Minister Netanyahu “crazy” and used an expletive to describe his poor judgment. He also criticized Israel’s continued bombing of Lebanon.
“There are many within the Israeli cabinet that would want to continue bombing Lebanon and thwart this eventual peace deal,” said Terek Khalil, attorney, activist and Education Chair with the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP). This vision of creating a greater Israel needs Lebanese territory, not to mention Syrian territory, Jordanian territory and the rest of historic Palestine.
“On that basis, there will be a lot of political motivation to continue their expansionist campaign in Lebanon,” he said.
Mr. Khalil and others point out that the Strait of Hormuz was open prior to the unprovoked U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, and the Muslim nation never threatened to impose a tariff on ships for passage, as they now are suggesting they might do. Nor were U.S. military bases in neighboring Gulf nations being attacked. Now they are.
“The Strait will be open for 60 days, but after 60 days it’ll be subject to a decision between Iran and Oman,” Mr. Khalil noted. “They will ultimately decide what the future holds for the Strait of Hormuz. That could have an economic impact on the United States. So, the situation post Memorandum of Understanding could be worse for the United States than pre-war.”
Mr. Khalil noted that the war has taken focus off the genocide occurring in Gaza. With the assault on Iran, America is complicit in the “crime of crimes”—genocide with Israel in Gaza and the unprovoked military attack and blockade of another nation.
“This is a shameful stain on the United States of America and we’re doing it at the behest of a foreign entity, a foreign government, Israel. That is something that Americans should abhor. We must end this so-called special relationship because it is a damaging one for U.S. interests.”
Reuters reports 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since an October 2025 ceasefire agreement, with many injured victims dying due to the closing of crossings manned by Israeli soldiers and the inability to be extracted to a medical facility.
All of Gaza is occupied, Mr. Khalil explained, but the physical presence of the Israeli army has a stronghold over 70% of the Gaza Strip.
“It looks like the vision is to occupy, physically, 70% of the 365 square kilometer territory known as the Gaza Strip and further consolidate their gains and suffocate the Palestinian people. That’s something that you will not see in mainstream news anymore.”
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, has consistently warned the American Government that Israel will drag it into a war that will end its power. He has also warned Islamic nations against being divided by the enemy that threatens them all.
“America: Even though you plan well, there is another Planner over and above your plans—that is The Best of Planners. And your plans, under His Plan, is causing you to fulfill the scripture that says ‘you will lay a trap and get caught in it, and you will dig a ditch for others.
But you will fall in it yourself,’” the Minister warned the American Government in Part 34 of his 2013 yearlong series “The Time and What Must Be done” titled “America’s Errant Foreign Policy.”
In that same message, Minister Farrakhan said to the Islamic nations: “My dear brothers and sisters, leaders of the Islamic world: What you are doing under the guidance of America and Europe will cause the whole Middle East to be destroyed, and possibly lead to the bombing of our Holy City of Mecca.
Whether you know it or not, the rightful place for The Righteous will be bathed in blood as a ‘purifying agent’ for The Mahdi and The Messiah to bring The Real People of God back to their proper and rightful place in Mecca, in Medina, and the whole Muslim world!”