Hormuz to reopen after Sunday deal, claims Trump

Washington, June 13, (IANS) US President Donald Trump said Saturday that a new agreement with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday and that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen to international shipping immediately after the deal takes effect.

“The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL,” Trump wrote in a social media post that outlined what he described as a breakthrough agreement with Tehran.

Trump said the proposed accord would permanently prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and sharply contrasted it with the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated under former President Barack Obama.

“Barack Hussein Obama’s Deal with Iran, the JCPOA, was an easy, beautiful, smooth road to a Nuclear Weapon, which Iran would have had six years ago, and would have used long before now,” Trump wrote.

“My Agreement with Iran is the exact opposite, A WALL TO NO NUCLEAR WEAPON!” he added.

The President claimed that Iran no longer sought nuclear weapons.

“In fact, they no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement,” Trump said.

The statement offered one of the clearest indications yet that negotiations between Washington and Tehran may be nearing completion after months of diplomatic engagement and regional tensions.

For global markets, Trump’s reference to the Strait of Hormuz is likely to attract particular attention. The narrow waterway is one of the world’s most critical energy transit routes, carrying a substantial share of internationally traded crude oil and liquefied natural gas.

India, one of the world’s largest importers of crude oil, closely monitors developments in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz because of their direct impact on energy security and shipping costs.

Trump also sought to distinguish the proposed agreement from the Obama-era nuclear deal by stressing that no financial transfers would be involved.

“Unlike Obama’s Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in payments to them, including 1.7 Billion Dollars in green, cold cash, no money will exchange hands,” he wrote.

The President further suggested that nuclear material remaining in Iran would eventually be removed and destroyed.

“At the appropriate time, when all is calm, we will go in and get the Nuclear Dust, buried deep under the powerful sunken granite mountains, thanks to our beautiful B-2 Bombers and their brilliant pilots, and downblend and destroy it, whether in Iran or the United States,” Trump said.

He also expressed optimism about future ties between Washington and Tehran.

“Our relationship with Iran is a much different and better one than previous Administrations have had,” he wrote.

“We look forward to working with Iran, and the entire Middle East, long into the future,” Trump added.

At the same time, Trump warned that the United States retained other options if diplomacy failed.

“Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly. If it doesn’t, we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again!” he said.

The announcement came as a social media post attributed to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also suggested that a peace agreement was close. “We are closer to a peace deal than ever before. With finalisation likely expected in the next 24 hours, Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after,” the post said, while thanking the United States and Iran for their role in negotiations.

–IANS

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