U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly said it would be acceptable for negotiations with Iran to extend past Aug. 18, the deadline set in a memorandum of understanding (MOU).
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported this Monday, citing multiple U.S. government officials, saying, "President Trump has discussed further strikes on Iran several times in recent days with Defense (War) Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine, but has decided to maintain diplomatic negotiations for now." The outlet reported that "while President Trump has not made a final decision, he told aides that 'a full-scale attack could undermine the possibility of dismantling Iran's nuclear program.'"
On the 11th of the same month, President Trump, meeting with reporters at the White House, was asked about the MOU deadline and said, "I don't want to talk about deadlines. This isn't very important." This suggests he had extension of the MOU in mind from the outset. With most experts viewing it as impossible for a nuclear deal with Iran to be reached within 60 days, if President Trump were to hold firm to the Aug. 18 "deadline," military tensions could rise and oil prices could climb again. This could be a fatal blow to President Trump, who faces midterm elections in November.
In fact, Article 3 of the ceasefire MOU between the United States and Iran left open the possibility of extension, stating, "The United States and Iran commit to negotiate and reach a final agreement within a maximum of 60 days, extendable by mutual consent."
The WSJ assessed that "President Trump's remark that it would be acceptable to go past Aug. 18 is a move to buy more time for negotiations." The outlet also reported that Trump currently said he is "satisfied with ordering a one-time strike if Iran violates the MOU."
However, if negotiations are prolonged, criticism within the United States could grow that sanctions on Iran have merely been lifted while there has been no progress on dismantling the nuclear program. On the 22nd, the United States lifted its ban on dollar settlements for Iranian crude oil for 60 days, the first such move in 18 years.
