STATEMENT: Iran MOU Confirms Iran War Was Failure of Historic Proportions

Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump’s administration is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran this Friday that will lift both countries’ blockades on the Strait of Hormuz and extend a ceasefire for 60 days to allow for continued negotiations to impose constraints on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The full text of the MOU has not yet been released, but news reports have described some of the details. In response, Andrew Miller, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:

What we know about this MOU confirms yet again that President Trump’s unlawful war of choice on Iran was a failure of historic proportions. While the Strait of Hormuz is reopening to commercial traffic, the MOU does not even fully restore the prewar status quo. Best case scenario, it will still take months to clear the immense backlog of ships. And potential future Iranian action against the waterway is likely to keep prices elevated for the foreseeable future. It will impose a “Trump tax” that businesses and consumers from the United States and other countries will have to pay.

The MOU does not even require Iran to take immediate steps to diminish its nuclear program, in contrast to the previous agreements negotiated by the Obama administration. It appears all but certain that Iran will emerge from the conflict even more dangerous and yielding greater influence in the region that before. Tragically, no peace deal, no matter how expansive, will bring back the lives that have been lost in this needless and brutal military campaign, including those of 13 American service members and over 150 Iranian school girls.

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