Donald Trump hails imminent end of 'legendary' Iran war campaign with hope Strait of Hormuz reopens
President Donald Trump has hailed an imminent end of his "legendary" Iranian war campaign with hopes the Strait of Hormuz will reopen. Mr Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to share the latest development in the deal deliberations. However, he did warn "bombing" Iran will start again at a "much high level and intensity" if Tehran fails to agree a peace deal. Mr Trump wrote: "Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran. "If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"This comes amid reports the White House and Islamic Republic are closing in on a peace deal. A one-page memorandum of understanding is being drafted which will be expected to set a framework for future discussions over a deal on nuclear non-proliferation, Axios reports. Whilst nothing has been agreed yet, inside sources say this has been the closest the two nations have been to striking a peace deal.Donald Trump provided the latest update on deal negotiations on his social media platform Truth Social | TRUTH SOCIAL / DONALD TRUMPThe proposed framework would see Iran agree to halt uranium enrichment for a defined period, whilst the United States would commit to easing sanctions and unlocking billions of dollars in Iranian assets currently frozen abroad. Both countries would also ease restrictions on commercial navigation through the critical shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz. However, most terms of the deal would only take effect upon a final agreement, meaning the situation could remain unresolved indefinitely.Active fighting is paused, but no lasting settlement is in place. White House insiders say this is the closest Iran and the US have been to striking a peace deal | GETTY Washington officials believe Iran's leadership is internally divided, making consensus difficult to achieve across competing power structures. Several US officials remain doubtful that even a preliminary deal will come to fruition. The White House has expressed confidence about reaching a deal at various stages of prior negotiations, only for talks to collapse. However, the Washington insiders confirmed Mr Trump's recent decision to stand down from his "Project Freedom", which proposed the US would guide stranded vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, was directly informed by progress in the current round of talks.There has been a sharp fall in the price of oil following the announcement by the US President. Oil prices have fluctuated significantly since the start of the war against Iran on February 28, particularly after the Islamic Republic officially closed the critical waterway, in which one fifth of the world's oil supply passes through, on March 2. Since then, businesses across the globe have endured rising oil prices.Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the complexity of the process earlier this week. He said: "We don't have to have the actual agreement written in one day."Mr Rubio further explained that any workable diplomatic outcome must be "very clear on the topics they are willing to negotiation on and the extent of the concessions they are willing to make at the front end". At the same time, Rubio cast doubt on Iran's willingness to follow through, describing some of its senior leaders as "insane in the brain".He also expressed uncertainty about whether a deal would ultimately be reached.
