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United States President Donald Trump said on June 17 that the memorandum of understanding with Iran is “not final,” warning that Washington could resume military strikes against Tehran if “they don’t behave.”
Trump reiterated that the deal with the Islamic Republic, set to be signed in two days, is “not final – it’s a memorandum of understanding,” and that Washington’s military threat remains in place.
“It’s a memorandum of understanding. If I don’t like it, if they don’t behave, we’ll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head, okay? Because they’ve misbehaved for 47 years,” he warned, speaking alongside Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi at the G7 summit in France.
Trump also said the agreement is “a great deal for a lot of reasons, but number one by far — 99.9% of it — is that they will never have a nuclear weapon.”
“It’s a very strong deal. Nobody knows what it is, but it’s very strong, and most people seem to be very happy,” the U.S. president continued.
“The Strait [of Hormuz] is going to be opening. It’s already partially opened. It’s going to be opening up soon in full over the next day or two,” he added.
Despite Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports, Trump suggested that a negotiated arrangement on the strategic waterway was unavoidable.
“The alternative would be a worldwide depression. You know, the stupid people want to have a worldwide depression, and they’re stupid people. So you can only go so far. You drive somebody into the ground, and a lot of bad things happen… the Strait would never open, because they don’t like floating billion-dollar ships up and down a strait when there are rockets flying over them and mines all over the place… It wouldn’t be open for a long time,” he said.
Iran has been very cautious about the MoU. Just two days earlier, President Masoud Pezeshkian said that a final agreement has not yet been formed.
“Iran has prepared for all possible scenarios, and the government’s attention is focused on honest service to the people – both with an agreement and without it,” Pezeshkian wrote on X.
“America’s genuine intention to respect the rights of the Iranian people must be tested in practice. The instructions of the Supreme Leader played a major role in including provisions aimed at protecting Iran’s national interests, and we are grateful to him for that,” he added.
The Islamic Republic has been also keeping its finger on the trigger. NBC News even reported on June 17 that several Iranian drones targeted commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz after the MoU was announced.
A U.S. official told the outlet that the U.S. military has been shooting down the drones launched by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps before they can threaten any vessels or personnel in the region.
While the MoU is a major step towards peace between the U.S. and Iran, it is clear that the war will not end without a more comprehensive agreement.
Trump’s latest remarks indicate that the U.S. is ready to attack Iran again if no such agreement is reached within the timeframe dedicated by the MoU. The Islamic Republic is clearly well aware of this possibility. And taking into account Israel’s negative position of the recent day, the current phase may end up being just a tactical pause.
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