Washington, DC – Ryan Costello, National Iranian American Council Policy Director, issued the following statement following the latest Truth Social post from President Trump and reports that the United States and Iran may soon reach a memorandum of understanding to end the recent war:
“It’s reported that the U.S. and Iran are nearing a ‘memorandum of cunderstanding’ laying out steps that the U.S. and Iran would take to end the war. If true, it is a positive sign that a war that has killed thousands and devastated the Iranian and global economies could be near an end.
“More than ever before, President Trump turned U.S. policy into a black or white choice: either war, or a deal. We’ve seen what war delivers: the devastation of Iranian society, far past the economic immiseration of sanctions. 254 children in Iran would be alive today if the President had prioritized peace. It did not bring liberation, despite these painful costs, nor did it buy security. Americans are paying the economic consequences of the war, just like Iranian civilians. A Trump deal with Iran has never been truly tested, but it could begin to reverse the damage of sanctions that has harmed the people of Iran far more than the ruling class.
“Yet caution is warranted, despite signs of a possible breakthrough on the horizon. The threat of war breaking out again remains high, with naval conflict in the Strait of Hormuz this week, and the Trump administration maintaining the threat of a return war if no deal is reached. Many of the concessions described are far-reaching and some may well be poison pills that would sink the negotiations. While acceptable compromises can be arrived at via good faith negotiation, even their publication will likely be seen as a pressure tactic by decisionmakers in Tehran.
“Moreover, President Trump is navigating a new reality created by his own actions, as he seeks to negotiate with an Iranian government after his second war of choice further empowered hardliners skeptical of any American diplomacy and eager to create new realities by military force. We hope that a durable peace can be forged, but fear it may not be as close as this recent report suggests.”
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