It’s taken days, but we finally got the memorandum of understanding. After the G7 summit wrapped up, an American official read the memorandum to selected news agencies. I’ve read it, and I’ll say this: it’s better than the leaked versions. But I have some notes. The most important sentence is in paragraph three: the United States and Iran commit to negotiating and achieving a final deal within 60 days, extendable by mutual consent. That’s the line that matters. My read is simple: this gets punted once, goes beyond the midterms, and nothing truly consequential gets decided until then.
The immediate substance is narrower than many people expected. The United States begins removing its naval blockade and other impediments, with the blockade ending within 30 days. The larger carrots — sanctions relief, access to frozen funds, and a reconstruction package — only come with a final deal. To me, this reads more like the “dust for dollars” concept that had been floating around for weeks. The White House seems to believe its leverage is simple: we are the stick. The military pressure remains implied even if it isn’t spelled out in the document.
