Trump Iran Deal Unraveled Over 1 Poorly Worded MOU Clause

Did the new war start because of one single clause in the earlier Trump Iran Deal? U.S. negotiators had given Tehran a leading role in reopening the Strait of Hormuz under Paragraph 5 of the 14-point memorandum of understanding for peace talks. The Mullah regime was supposed to coordinate with Oman, which sits on the other side of the narrow waterway. Specifically, the text said Iran would enable the safe passage of cargo ships and tankers, remove sea mines and, longer term, negotiate with Oman over the future administration of the vital oil route.

But the language — hammered out by top negotiators for President Donald Trump (80), including his son-in-law Jared Kushner and crisis envoy Steve Witkoff — remained dangerously vague. Iran interpreted it as giving Tehran future authority over the passage. In recent days, the regime used military force against a new alternative route close to the Omani coast: three ships were attacked. Tehran insists that commercial vessels should continue to pass farther north, along the Iranian coast, where the regime can exert greater control.

Trump Iran Deal Leaves Room For Tehran

Trump was furious. He has already ordered strikes on around 170 Iranian targets over two nights. According to U.S. media reports, the president raged behind the scenes. Publicly, he showed his anger, too, recently dismissing the Iranians as “scum.” One thing is clear: shipping traffic is disrupted again. According to maritime data firm Kpler, the number of crossings fell to just 25 vessels on Wednesday. By Thursday morning, only two ships had reportedly made the passage.

What enrages Trump most is that Iran appears to have exploited the gap in the negotiations with brutal precision. For the U.S. president, rising oil prices would increase domestic political pressure at the worst possible moment. A quick agreement is not in sight. Both sides are on “different planets,” the Wall Street Journal quoted U.S. diplomats as saying. In short: Tehran wants fees and control. The U.S. and allied Gulf states want free and safe passage — just as before the war began.

Ships In The Southern Route Turning Off Tracker

Most recently, the U.S. Navy helped ships use the southern route. The vessels sailed with their AIS trackers turned off, while secretly maintaining radio contact with the Navy. That tactic enraged Tehran. For a while, it helped move 9.5 million barrels of oil per day through the Hormuz bottleneck — roughly half the previous volume.

Now the route is again almost blocked. If the disruption lasts, oil could shoot back to $120 per barrel, oil expert Andrew Lipow warns America Report. “Gasoline, diesel, jet fuel — everything would become more expensive, including in Europe,” he says.

The crisis is also bringing new criticism of Witkoff and Kushner. According to CNN, the negotiating duo declined advice from diplomats with deep experience in difficult talks with Iran. Now diplomats are whispering that the two real-estate men may have been out of their depth. The Trump Iran Deal was supposed to calm the region and reopen the world’s most important oil artery. Instead, one vague clause may have handed Tehran the exact opening it needed.