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Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/06/18/first-steps-peace-deal-demand-far-more-us-than-iran/
First Steps in Peace Deal Demand Far More from U.S. than Iran
(Washington Post) Greg Miller - The memorandum of understanding to end the U.S.-Israel war with Iran puts the onus on the U.S. to deliver early concessions including lifting sanctions, freeing billions in frozen assets, and dismantling a U.S. naval blockade of Iran's ports. "The MoU is structured to bring Iran to the table," said Matthew Levitt, an Iran expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "And it demonstrates that the United States wanted this deal even more than Iran did. It is front-loaded with more deliverables from the United States and its allies toward Iran than the other way around." Trump administration officials have emphasized that the memorandum was not intended to be a template for solving every point of friction with Tehran, but to end a war that disrupted the global economy and to secure a commitment from Tehran to negotiate the dismantling of its nuclear program. All but one of the document's provisions require the U.S. to deliver on Iranian demands: to "end the naval blockade" of Iran's ports "within 30 days," to require the U.S. Treasury Department to issue waivers enabling Iran to bypass long-standing sanctions on oil sales, and release "frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic." Combined, those measures could give Iran immediate access to billions of dollars, providing an economic lifeline to the regime.