Trump signs agreement to end war with Iran

**Nick Miles** (0:00)
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.
I'm Nick Miles, and in the early hours of Thursday, the 18th of June, these are our main stories. Donald Trump has signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the conflict between the two countries. Iran has confirmed the signing, but says it will start imposing tariffs on ships passing through the strait after 60 days.

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After nearly four months of on-off conflict, a US blockade of Iranian ports and Tehran's virtual barricade across the Strait of Hormuz, everybody is feeling the economic pain. Could we now have seen the moment to relieve the tension and end the war? Well, on Wednesday, at a candlelit dinner in the Palace of Versailles outside Paris, Donald Trump signed a memorandum of understanding to extend their ceasefire.
The same document was endorsed by the Iranian president in Tehran. In it, Iran agrees to dilute its enriched uranium in return for large-scale economic relief. So, what more is the US president looking to get out of this agreement with Iran? It's a question I put to our US correspondent, Thomas Morgan, who's in Washington.

**Thomas Morgan** (1:38)
Donald Trump has said from the start, really, that one of the reasons that he entered into this conflict over 100 days ago was to make sure that Iran wasn't able to build any nuclear weapons.
And he is confident that has come out from this deal. I mean, it has been said in this memorandum, it is written there, so we understand that that won't happen. But I think there are many question marks still with some of what's been written down in this text.
I think the two main issues that some Democrats and some actually Republicans have also questioned about this memorandum of understanding surrounds the future of the Strait of Hormuz and also potential money that could be given to Iran for a reconstruction fund. Now, Donald Trump has vehemently denied the fact that the US would give towards a reconstruction fund, but written in this text, we've been told in a briefing by US officials, is exactly that. If Iran adheres to what's in the agreement, the US would give them that sum of money to help reconstruct the country. When it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, yes, everything is reopened now, as it once was before this conflict. However, after this 60 days of negotiation and where they'll discuss in more detail what happens to some of the uranium that Iran has, the situation around the Strait of Hormuz is still up for debate, i.e.
the Iranians are saying they will impose a toll on ships using the strait. And that is something that has never happened before. And that is something that nobody across the world will want. Certainly not many of the Americans that have been coming out criticising this deal.

**Nick Miles** (3:21)
And you mentioned criticism from some of Donald Trump's close allies. Will that concern the president at the moment?

**Thomas Morgan** (3:29)
Well, I think for him, he was under pressure, really, to get this deal done in some form. This was a conflict that was resoundedly across the US found unfavourable by so much of the public. And even more so at a time when inflation is rising and its fastest rate for three years. And also then, obviously, gas, oil, petrol, diesel prices skyrocketing because the strait being closed, a key conduit for 20% of the world's oil and liquefied gas. So he was under public pressure back here, although he has never kind of really shown that really. But I think he was growing increasingly frustrating over the last week with conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah and South Lebanon and tippa-tap between his US blockade and Iran really. So he really needed to get it done. And he will look at this as a victory, even though he is being questioned by some from his own party back at home.

**Nick Miles** (4:26)
Thomas Morgan. So how is this deal being viewed by Tehran?
Kashayar Johnady is from our Persian service and he's based in the US.

**SPEAKER_3** (4:35)
Well, Mohammed Baqir Ghalibov, the Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator, went on state TV Wednesday night to defend the agreement. He claimed that Iran was the victor here and the United States and Israel had lost the war.