WASHINGTON — The effort by the U.S.and Iran to negotiate an end to the war has been defined by dramatic fits and starts and punctuated by missile strikes and naval blockades.
Yet since a memorandum of understanding was brokered last weekend, the confusion has only grown.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The White House said the agreement had been signed on Sunday by Vice President JD Vance but then announced there would be another signing — this time with a ceremony — on Friday.Also on Sunday, President Donald Trump said he would “fully authorize” the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in what he described as a “complete” deal.
But an hour later, the president said the critical waterway would open once the deal was signed on Friday.Trump administration officials offered conflicting messages on Monday about when the text of the memorandum would be released, with some saying within the next 24 to 48 hours and others saying not until Friday.At one point, Trump said while in France for the Group of Seven summit that he might just read the text of the MOU aloud during a news conference.Instead, U.S.
officials read the text on a call with reporters during Trump’s news conference.Then, Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian suddenly re-signed the agreement, the U.S.leader doing so during a dinner at Versailles with French President Emmanuel Macron looking on.
And now it’s unclear whether there will be a signing ceremony, or further talks, at all.The lack of clarity over the proposed peace deal is only the latest murky point in the conflict since the U.S.and Israel launched attacks on Iran in February.
Trump has offered shifting reasons for going to war with Iran and given different answers on what he hoped to get out of it.Both Iran and the U.S.
have continued to launch strikes, even as leaders say a temporary ceasefire brokered in early April remains in place.Even the MOU d...