Is Trump out of options to end the Iran war?

**Negar Mortazavi** (0:00)
This message comes from Mint Mobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees, and free perks, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at mintmobile.com/switch.
Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details.

**Chris Bentley** (0:18)
WBUR podcasts, Boston.

**Negar Mortazavi** (0:22)
Make sure the war ends and that they get some economic relief. And this is something that President Trump could do. He has signed the MOU and I think it's time to exit the war and just take the win and move on.

**Chris Bentley** (0:33)
The US is bombing Iran again, but it's not any closer to achieving its goals. So how much longer will President Trump keep up the war?
It's Thursday, July 16th, and this is Here and Now Anytime from NPR and WBUR. I'm Chris Bentley. Today on the show, more than 100 Democrats and one Republican voted to end most military aid to Israel. The bill did not pass, but it was significant nonetheless.

**Pramila Jayapal** (1:11)
Over half of the Democratic caucus has responded to the pleas and the cries and the energy and organizing across the country.

**Chris Bentley** (1:21)
Also, Spain vs. Argentina. The World Cup final is set for Sunday, after the two teams dispatched with their opponents in the semis. Get caught up if you haven't been following, or get hyped up if you have. We'll have a preview of the match in about 10 minutes.
But first, that interim deal the US had with Iran to end the war there is in tatters after nearly a week of deadly fighting. The two countries intensified their attacks on each other overnight. According to Iranian officials, the latest American strikes killed more than 35 people and wounded at least 300 more.
But yesterday, Iran agreed to release an American citizen it accused of espionage who had been detained since 2024 President Trump called the move a gesture of goodwill. And in a speech on Iranian state TV yesterday, Iran's top negotiator suggested new talks with the US could still happen. Negar Mortazavi is with the Center for International Policy. She spoke to Peter O'Dowd.

**Negar Mortazavi** (2:23)
So from Tehran's viewpoint, the deal that was signed, the pre-deal memorandum of understanding the MOU, has been violated by the Israeli. One of the main points of the deal was to end the war on all fronts including Lebanon. Lebanon was mentioned, it was a complicated process to include it. And then Israel continues a conflict there, and the US response is, we don't have full control over Israel. So that's one issue. The other violation the Iranians are pointing out is in the Strait of Hormuz. So they agree to allow passage, what they call safe passage, or quote unquote innocent passage, which means it has to be coordinated with them so they know who's passing, what's the cargo, what's the ship, et cetera.
But the US tried to sort of forge open a parallel path without coordination with Iran, telling ships to turn off their transponders and just escorting them, essentially pushing them through the Strait from the Omani side. And the Iranians see that as a violation of what was agreed on the paper. And so they started escalating in the Strait of Hormuz, the US responded, and it's just back to the hot conflict right now.

**Peter O'Dowd** (3:25)
Do you see Iran is willing and able to just continue this as long as it is necessary?

**Negar Mortazavi** (3:33)
I think they want to. They're in this for the long game and their thinking is the more they de-escalate or the more they give to President Trump, the more he's going to try to take. So essentially, he signed something on paper and he got criticized for it from not just Democrats, but some in his own party saying that this memorandum of understanding and the deal is just giving so many concessions to Iran is taking very little. And I think he started to try to stretch the limits of what was signed on the paper on the battlefield, thinking again, if a little more pressure, a little more force will help make the Iranians capitulate or surrender, and the Iranian message has been no, they're willing to take a lot of pain, destruction, attacks, etc.
But not surrender or capitulate on their force, because their long term thinking is if they do that, it projects weakness and it just invites more pressure and more war.

**Peter O'Dowd** (4:22)
So if that's the case, what's the plan for the United States now? Because at this point, it does appear that President Trump is stuck in this cycle of reverting to military strikes if Iran doesn't bend to his will. We just told Fox News this week that it would be power plants and bridges if a diplomatic breakthrough isn't achieved.