Foreign Policy Says MOU Ends U.S. Naval Blockade On Iran After Uneasy Cease-Fire

A memorandum of understanding described by Foreign Policy as ending “the military operation on all fronts as well as the U.S. naval blockade on Iran” is framed as a shift after “two months of an uneasy cease-fire,” with the MOU focused on reopening the Gulf and Hormuz and lifting the U.S. blockade.

“When President Donald Trump launched the Iran war in February, he risked alienating the non-interventionist base he had spent a decade cultivating”

CNN

Foreign Policy says the agreement is “bare-bones” and “does not in and of itself negotiate any nuclear questions,” leaving open questions about sanctions relief and “the unfreezing of Iranian assets.”

CNN

The same article argues that the deal is still likely the best possible outcome because Iran has “successfully resisted U.S. military and economic pressure far better than assumed prior to the conflict,” creating leverage through control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Vice President J.D. Vance is quoted by Foreign Policy claiming the agreement has the potential to “fundamentally transform the Middle East for the next 50 years” and that it will ensure Tehran “will never have a nuclear weapon.”

Foreign Policy adds that such language “in the absence of specifics seems unconvincing,” and says the White House has faced criticism from Democrats in Congress and in the media over the war’s toll, including “13 American lives” and “more than $70 billion by some estimates.”

CNN reports that prominent GOP hawks fear Trump “just caved” as he tries to extract the United States from the “highly unpopular war,” with Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina saying he was “somewhat concerned” that “Iran’s version of the details didn’t match the Trump administration’s.”

CNN also quotes Graham calling it “imperative that the architect of the deal, Vice President Vance and his negotiating partners, be part of the process in presenting the final deal to Congress.”

Foreign Policy

CNN says Fox News host Mark Levin pressed for transparency, asking “why can’t we, the people, see the damn MOU?” and adding, “Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The article notes that National Review editors called it “discouraging” that Trump indicated Iran would still be allowed to enrich uranium for non-military uses, and criticized early indicators that the agreement would not rein in Iran’s ballistic missile program.

CNN adds that former Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on X, “I pray that any settlement preserves those sacrifices and secures the interests of the American people,” as criticism builds around details that negotiators have not yet finalized.

France 24, citing a Reuters/Ipsos poll, reports Donald Trump’s approval rating slipping to 34 percent as gasoline prices rose by “more than 40 percent” and the “unpopular war with Iran continued.”

“Historic drop in Trump's popularity due to rising cost of living and the Iran war”

France 24

The poll, France 24 says, was conducted over four days and completed on Monday, and found 34 percent approved of Trump’s performance in the White House, down from 36 percent in a survey conducted between April 15 and 20.

France 24 reports that only 22 percent of participants gave him a positive rating on the cost of living, down from 25 percent in the previous poll, while registered independent voters leaned toward Democrats by a 14-point margin (34 percent vs 20 percent).

On the war itself, France 24 reports that 34 percent of Americans supported the US-Iran clash, compared with 36 percent in mid-April and 38 percent in mid-March, and says the poll surveyed 1,269 adults, including 1,014 registered voters, with a margin of error of three percentage points.

France 24 also links the political stakes to energy prices and reserves, saying ongoing Iranian threats continued to disrupt “about a fifth of global oil trade,” raising pressure on American family budgets and concerns among Republicans about losing control of Congress in the November midterm elections.