President Trump said earlier today at the G7 summit in France that a memorandum of understanding reached with Iran is not final and warned he could resume a bombing campaign if Tehran does not “behave,” casting uncertainty over a framework agreement signed this week to end months of war in the iran israel war region.
“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,” Trump said Wednesday on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, according to Reuters. “Because they’ve misbehaved for 47 years.”
The warning marks a sharp shift in tone from Trump’s announcement on Sunday that “the Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” which he posted on Truth Social as he authorized the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of the U.S. naval blockade.
The U.S. and Iran agreed to a framework deal on June 15 that calls for an immediate end to hostilities and a 60-day negotiation window to work out the terms of a final agreement, according to NBC News. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who mediated the talks, announced the breakthrough, and a formal signing ceremony is scheduled for Friday in Switzerland.
The memorandum of understanding, composed of 14 points, includes Iran’s reaffirmation of its commitment under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty not to produce nuclear weapons, according to reporting from Iranian state-affiliated Mehr News cited by NBC News. It also calls for the lifting of oil and some financial sanctions, the withdrawal of U.S. forces around Iran, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days.
Trump emphasized that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is the core of the agreement. “The agreement is ‘a great deal for a lot of reasons,’ he said, ‘but number one by far — 99.9 percent of it — is that they will never have a nuclear weapon,'” according to the Times of Israel. He added, “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 deal represents a major economic relief for global markets. Oil prices fell more than 4.5 percent to $80 per barrel when the agreement was announced, according to NBC News, as traders reacted to the prospect of the Strait of Hormuz reopening. About 20 percent of the world’s oil passed through the strait before the war began in February.
Trump’s conditional framing of the deal reflects the fragility of the agreement. The U.S. and Iran have been locked in conflict since late February, when joint U.S. and Israeli military strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and sparked a wider regional war. Both sides continued limited strikes even after a ceasefire was agreed in April, and tensions flared again just before the framework deal was announced when Israel struck targets in Lebanon—prompting Trump himself to criticize the Israeli action on social media.
The interim agreement also faces pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched the war alongside Trump but has expressed reservations about the emerging terms. Netanyahu has sought a meeting with Trump to discuss the deal, according to NBC News, as he faces domestic criticism over what many in Israel view as concessions to Iran.
Trump denied reports that the final deal would include a $300 billion fund for investment and reconstruction in Iran, telling reporters at the G7 that “that’s false.” He said individuals or companies could choose to invest in Iran if they wished, but no government fund would be created by the U.S. or its allies. “We do not have a fund,” Trump said, adding that any such support from Gulf countries would depend on Iran’s future behavior.
The agreement sets the stage for intensive negotiations over the coming two months on the final terms of a broader accord. The U.S. has tied further sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian assets to progress on Iran’s nuclear program and its compliance with international inspections, according to reporting by NBC News and the Times of Israel.
Sources
- Reuters — Trump’s statement that the Iran MOU is “not final” and his threat to resume bombing if Iran doesn’t “behave”
- Times of Israel — Trump’s full remarks at the G7, his claim that the deal is “very strong,” details of the memorandum structure, and Netanyahu’s response
- NBC News — The June 15 framework agreement announcement, the 14-point memorandum details, oil price reaction, and the ceasefire history
