President Donald Trump has previously made a few main guarantees about a deal to end the war he started with Iran:
It will ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon
Trump’s deal will be better than President Barack Obama’s
Trump addressed that second point in a post on his social media platform Sunday.
“The Obuma Deal was a road to a Nuclear weapon for Iran, cash and all, one of the worst and dumbest (hence Dumocrats!) Deals ever made by the U.S. Our Deal is a WALL against Iran ever having a Nuclear weapon, the complete opposite of Obuma.”
It is impossible to make a direct comparison at this moment since the Trump memo announced Sunday is not a long-term nuclear deal, but rather an agreement to halt the war.
Under Obama, the US was part of an international coalition that reached an agreement with Iran to limit its nuclear program. International monitors verified that Iran was complying, and Iran was able to tap its oil wealth.
Trump tore that deal up during his first term. Iran subsequently also withdrew from the agreement, then kickstarted its enrichment of uranium.
Trump’s apparent new agreement is very different. This one would stop hostilities between the countries and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The US will reportedly stop its blockade of Iranian ports and Iran will allow shipping traffic through the strait.
A longer-term deal to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions will likely still have to be negotiated.
Trump has frequently complained that Obama’s deal included the transport of cash from the US to Iran. That was actually the settlement of a long-term dispute over arms Iran bought from the US before the Islamic revolution.
It remains to be seen what financial elements are included in Trump’s agreement.