May 29—President Donald Trump has in his hands a Memorandum of Understanding, whose language has been agreed to by U.S. and Iranian negotiators, and which, according to reports, has been signed off on by the Iranian leadership. The deal, which will open the Strait of Hormuz and which will end Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions (if they ever had any), is the exit ramp Trump has searched for from this disastrous war that Israel's messianic lunatic Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu suckered the President into joining in his fool's-errand mission of regime change on Feb. 28.

The deal is acceptable to Trump, a source close to the White House said this morning, "but it is totally unacceptable to Bibi. He wanted a dysfunctional Iran, in total chaos, and one that Bibi could continue to fight. And, the deal will also restrain his genocidal operations against Lebanon and Hezbollah. In short, it is a strategic and political disaster for him. The question for Trump is: Does he have the guts to sign the deal and face the wrath of Bibi and his allies in the Zionist Lobby in the U.S.? The indications are that he will sign off on it."

Trump’s Strategy and Political Calculations

This and other sources say that Trump agreed to keep the Israelis at a distance while the negotiations on the wording of the MoU took place over the last several weeks. He has repeatedly told people that "Bibi cannot go against me. He will be forced to go along, whether he likes the deal or not." While critics in the MAGA camp, and Democrats, accurately argued that the Iran war was in Israel's interest and not the United States', Trump was maneuvering to cut a deal that was in his interest, and focused on two issues—the elimination of Iran's nuclear weapons capability and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to global traffic, reducing the effect on the global economy, which was headed towards a collapse in real production, including in food.

"The nuclear issue is critical for Trump politically," said the source close to the White House. "The crisis in the Strait was an effect of war, something that he had created. But removing Iran as a nuclear threat was a stated objective, not just of the United States but of Bibi and Israel. And the deal will do that, as the terms of future enrichment and the handling of Iran's 60% enriched uranium will be worked out over the next 30-60 days."

Leaks, Lobbying, and Resistance to the Deal

And there have been active measures to sabotage the deal coming from the media, in the form of leaks of its terms, as they were being negotiated. Trump, with his stupid bluster, contributes to this, but the leaks, coming from inside and around the White House to Axios, in particular, have only given the collection of Zionist lobby war hawks, like Sen. Lindsey Graham, a chance to yell, "sell out" and demand tougher terms.

The Z-lobby, including Sen. Graham, has also focused on the sanctions relief, and the release of billions in frozen Iranian assets, as well as allowing Iran to sell its oil and natural gas on the open markets. Graham has said that such monies will go to rebuild Iran's military capabilities to threaten Israel and its neighbors.

According to the Axios report yesterday, which other sources who have seen the MoU say is basically accurate, U.S. officials said terms of the deal were mostly agreed to as of Tuesday, but both sides still needed approval from senior leadership. The U.S. officials claimed the Iranians later came back and said they had the necessary approvals and were prepared to sign. Iran has not confirmed that. The U.S. negotiators, led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, briefed Trump on the details of the final deal, but he did not immediately sign off. "The president relayed to the mediators that he wants a couple of days to think about it," a U.S. official said.

Terms of the Proposed Agreement

The U.S. officials said the 60-day MoU states that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will be "unrestricted." A U.S. official said this means no tolls and no harassment, and that Iran will have to remove all mines from the strait within 30 days. The U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports will also be lifted, but that will happen in proportion to the restoration of commercial shipping, a U.S. official said. The U.S. would also issue some sanctions waivers to allow Iran to sell oil freely.

The MoU includes an Iranian commitment not to pursue a nuclear weapon, the officials said. It also states that the first issues to be negotiated during the 60-day window will be how to dispose of Iran's highly enriched uranium and how to address Iranian enrichment. The U.S. will commit to discuss sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian funds as part of the negotiations.

The MoU states that the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon would end.

Trump’s Public Messaging and Iranian Conditions

As this is being written, Trump is huddled with various officials and advisors, ostensibly to make a final determination on the MoU. Typical of his bombastic style of "negotiating," Trump already placed his thoughts on his Truth Social account to clarify some items.

“The enriched material, sometimes referred to as ‘Nuclear Dust,’ which is buried deep underground with virtually collapsed mountains, caused by our powerful B2 Bomber attack 11 months ago, sitting on top of it, will be unearthed by the United States … in close coordination and conjunction with the Islamic Republic of Iran, plus the International Atomic Energy Agency, and DESTROYED,” he wrote.

He also noted that “it is agreed” that the U.S. “is the only Country, along with China, with the mechanical capability” of extracting the uranium.

“Iran must agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb.” Tehran would be barred from collecting tolls on ships in the Strait of Hormuz—ensuring “unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions,” Trump said.

“All water mines (bombs), if any, will be terminated (we have removed, through detonation, numerous such mines with our great underwater mine sweepers,” he added.

While Trump said he was headed to the Situation Room to make a determination on the agreement, he appeared to hint that lifting the blockade on Iranian ports had already been decided, which White House tea-leaf readers say indicates that he may just agree to sign the MoU.

“Ships caught in the Strait due to our amazing and unprecedented Naval Blockade, which will now be lifted, may start the process of ‘heading home!’” he said. “Say HELLO to your wives, husbands, parents, and families from me, your favorite President!” Iran claimed it would not reopen the strait until the blockade is lifted, according to Fars—meaning Trump’s statement may have been an attempt to meet Tehran’s precondition.

But Iran’s top negotiator and parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, earlier Friday cryptically said Iran would not act on words alone.

Trump said that “no money will be exchanged, until further notice”—suggesting that economic relief measures with Iran may be taken up in future negotiations.

Regional Mediation and Consequences for Netanyahu

The developments come after Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Washington today for talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as Islamabad continues to serve as a mediator in the agreement.

If Trump goes forward and signs the MoU, it will be hard for Bibi to cover up both the strategic and personal defeat it represents to him. Writes the sage strategic analyst Amos Harel in Haaretz, May 25: "The deal shaping up between the United States and Iran will express, if signed, a glorious American capitulation regarding the war that took place in the Gulf. It will also reflect Israel's waning influence on the moves of U.S. President Donald Trump... [I]t seemed that there would be a significant curbing of Iran's nuclear program in the best-case scenario. No attention to other problems most likely on the agenda, like ballistic missiles, aid to terror organizations in the Middle East and, more ambitiously, regime change in Tehran. This outcome would be a far cry from the promises of victory touted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he embarked on this war."

"What would Bibi do in response to his former friend if he signs this deal?" asked another source. "I would not rule anything out. Anything."