Report: Iran Added Last-Minute Demands to Understanding with Trump

Iranian news agency Tasnim reported on Monday that Iran inserted additional demands into the agreement at the last minute. According to the report, several changes were made in the hours before the memorandum of understanding was published, including adding the phrase about “guaranteeing sovereignty and respecting the territorial integrity of Lebanon” to the first clause. Tasnim said this was wording Donald Trump had refused to include in earlier drafts.

The report also said disputes over the clause dealing with the Strait of Hormuz continued until the final minutes before the understandings were announced. The phrase “managing shipping services in the Strait of Hormuz” was added by Iran and Oman to clause 5 of the memorandum.

The article said fees collected from ships passing through the strait were excluded for 60 days. Trump stressed that the strait should be reopened and the blockade lifted immediately after the announcement of the understandings, but Iran refused. In the end, it was decided that the process of reopening the Strait of Hormuz would begin on Friday, after the agreement is signed.