Iran-US peace deal faces various threats, from Lebanon, Israel and Trump |
Iran-US peace deal faces various threats, from Lebanon, Israel and Trump
President Trump and Vice President Vance are staring down a number of major challenges in the U.S.-Iran negotiations, despite signs of progress being reported from the first round of talks on Sunday.
Vance said Monday that “a very good foundation” had been laid in the initial talks, during which Vance said Iran agreed to invite the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) back into the country.
Additionally, he noted the talks established mechanisms to demine the Strait of Hormuz and to settle a regional ceasefire that would include Lebanon.
The vice president acknowledged there was “a little bit of threatening” and “a little bit of whining,” but he said at the end, “great progress” was made.
Still, significant questions surrounding the negotiations remain, including how to navigate Israel’s insistence on targeting the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as how to keep the Strait of Hormuz permanently open going forward.
Oil prices plunged following the developments and as traffic through the strait increased, with the international benchmark Brent crude falling to $78 per barrel and the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate falling to $74 per barrel.
The Strait of Hormuz’s opening remains tenuous. Iran threatened to close it Saturday over Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
“The key going forward is providing just enough relief to Iran to prevent the regime from reversing its current death spiral trajectory while relieving the pressure of Hormuz on the global energy market,” said Richard Goldberg, Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior adviser and former National Security Council director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction, in a statement.
Sabrina Singh, former Pentagon deputy press secretary during the Biden administration, noted that traffic through the strait will ultimately........