US media say Trump administration refuses to return to the June agreement reached with Iran

PANews reported on August 28, according to Jin10, The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, said the Trump administration has repeatedly told mediators that it has no intention of reaccepting the terms of the memorandum of understanding reached with Iran in June this year. Trump is now shifting to pressuring Iran through economic means and is willing to wait and see whether this strategy can work. The June agreement originally planned to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and launch negotiations on the nuclear issue and on ending the war in exchange for easing sanctions, allowing Iran to access frozen funds overseas, and other measures, but it broke down weeks later after Iran attacked ships. Iran, for its part, insists that the United States resume implementation of the June agreement and believes that Article 5 of the agreement actually recognizes Iran’s right to determine the conditions for opening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that Iran will reopen the strait only if the United States resumes implementation of the agreement, grants Iran waivers for oil sales, and ends the maritime blockade. Recently, Pakistan, Oman, and Qatar have successively launched mediation efforts, but progress has been limited. Analysts say the memorandum of understanding reached in June has effectively become invalid, and both sides are currently preparing for an escalation of the situation.