US President Donald Trump was keen on finalising Iran peace deal on his 80th birthday, June 14. He did it. Iran, however, did not want to give Trump a birthday gift. They did not. The two parties still sealed the deal, just seven and a half hours apart, suiting their preferred dates and times.
Trump on Monday morning (local time) announced that the deal with Iran is “complete.” In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump wrote: “Congratulations to all! I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorise the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”
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Iran delayed the finalisation of its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the US until after midnight local time. The Islamic country took advantage of different time zones and waited for the clock to strike 12 before agreeing to anything with Trump.
Iran did not want the momentous occasion to coincide with Trump’s birthday on Sunday, The New York Times reported quoting two Iranian officials who could not be identified because of the matter’s sensitivity.
“The seven-and-half-hour time difference allowed both Tehran and Washington to claim their preferred version of when the deal was finalized. President Trump had said it would be on Sunday, and Iran had said it would be on a later day,” the NYT report read.
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The peace deal, which was initially announced by mediator Pakistan, was confirmed by Trump at 5:29 pm Eastern Time on June 14; by then it was already 1 am on June 15 in Tehran. The time difference served both sides.
The content of the US-Iran peace deal remains unclear. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, however, said the deal with the US includes the immediate and permanent suspension of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and an end to the US’s naval blockade on Iranian ports.
“This memorandum of understanding does not mean trusting the enemy. We will monitor the implementation of US commitments,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said, according to the Tasnim news agency.
The official signing ceremony will be held on June 19 in Geneva, Switzerland, and negotiations for a final deal will be held during a 60-day period.
