US-Iran MoU expiry won't change Hormuz standoff: Analysis

The memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran is set to expire on Monday. Still, former senior US diplomat Alan Eyre told Al Jazeera that “it doesn't make much of a difference” as both sides “violated it almost the moment after it was signed.” He said the US is blockading Iranian ports. At the same time, Iran keeps the Strait of Hormuz closed, and that Iran's leadership, which he described as “more hardline, more radical” than its predecessor, has decided to “increase the pain on the US” ahead of the midterms. Eyre said Trump has “no good options”, only “bad and worse”, with the “least bad” being to cede Iranian control of the strait — though even that may now be impossible. He warned that Iran now wants “more money upfront” and to monetise traffic through the strait because it doesn't trust the US administration. Eyre dismissed Trump's claims that the strait is “open” and “under US control”, noting that pre-war traffic was 130 ships a day, now just two or three. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://X.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile #Trump #Iran #UnitedStates #IranWar #USIsraelWarOnIran #HormuzCrisis #USIranMoU #IranFrozenAssets #IranFrozenFunds #StraitOfHormuzControl #USSanctionsOnIran #USIranCeasefire #USIranTalks #AlJazeeraEnglish