President Donald Trump chose the historic Versailles palace for the overnight signing of a memorandum of understanding with Iran, joking earlier that he likes beautiful places and that Versailles is “the real thing.” The choice echoed the 1919 Treaty of Versailles signed there after World War I. Iranian leaders quickly portrayed the accord as a victory, while the next round of initial US Iran talks is set for Thursday in Switzerland, with the Swiss foreign ministry saying the meeting in Burgenstock is expected to involve the US, Iran, Pakistan, Qatar and other parties, but that details remain unclear.
The agreement reportedly lets Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz in full, while Washington ends the blockade and allows Tehran to resume oil sales on the world market. The harder issue, dismantling Iran’s nuclear project, was pushed into further talks over the next 60 days. Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said, “Our hands are on the trigger,” and called the understanding “a document of America’s defeat.” Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Iran’s missiles are “for launch only, not for negotiations,” that its defense capabilities will not be discussed, and that cutting enriched material is only one possible option. He also said it is the US’s responsibility to force Israel to honor its commitments.
A Wall Street Journal report said Trump’s ties with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have badly deteriorated as Trump pushed to end the war with Iran, which strained the US economy and left American fuel prices above $4 a gallon, while Netanyahu pressed for more military action. In one call about Lebanon, Trump reportedly snapped, “Why are you bombing buildings? Stop bombing buildings.” He also worried the conflict could associate him with Herbert Hoover. Trump told advisers that “nobody can deal with Netanyahu” and that the Israeli leader wants to “bomb everybody,” though he publicly said, “I think he’s great, but sometimes he goes too far.”
The report said Israel was surprised by the ceasefire announced Thursday and had expected Trump to lean toward more strikes. Netanyahu warned Trump in private not to trust an unverifiable deal and asked, “Donald, how are you going to verify it?” Yet Trump told associates he was trying diplomacy and wanted a solution that was “completely airtight.” The article says the relationship has also turned politically awkward for Netanyahu, who faces difficult elections in the fall, and that Trump’s earlier support, including urging a pardon in Netanyahu’s trial, now looks less certain.
