US and Iran sign interim deal to reopen Strait of Hormuz

The Associated Press account notes that the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action took more than 18 months to negotiate and relied on detailed limits on enrichment, centrifuges and heavy water production. Trump withdrew the United States from that pact in 2018. The current memorandum compresses the next nuclear phase into 60 days, while US officials say major implementation questions remain. UN Trade and Development compared the Hormuz disruption with recent global shocks such as COVID-19 and Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, where energy, transport and agricultural-input problems moved quickly into household prices.

Hormuz is a strategic chokepoint where military pressure, energy dependence and nuclear diplomacy intersect. The memorandum suggests both sides recognised that controlling escalation mattered more than maximal battlefield demands. It also shows the limits of Western leverage: Iran may gain oil waivers and negotiating space while Europe and the G7 push to add missiles and regional proxies to a deal Tehran may resist.

The immediate trigger is the signing of the interim memorandum after months of conflict and market pressure around the Strait of Hormuz. Ghalibaf's statement matters now because it signals Tehran's public justification for accepting negotiations after sustained military confrontation.