<\/p>\n
The Trump administration<\/span> is boasting about pending plans to conclude its war with Iran, having achieved none of the original objectives laid out by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n With a commitment to a ceasefire and the scheduled signing of a \u201cframework\u201d later this week, Iran is expected to agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days. Negotiations over an agreement regarding Iran\u2019s nuclear program are expected to take place in the 60 days following Friday\u2019s signing ceremony.<\/p>\n If the deal is signed on this week, it will mark a return to the status quo antebellum when the Strait of Hormuz was open and no nuclear deal with Iran was in place. Aside from killing top regime leaders, thousands of civilians \u2014 including more than 150, most of them children, on a strike on an elementary school<\/a> \u2014 and damaging almost 149,000 civilian infrastructures<\/a>, the United States has functionally achieved nothing. The same regime is in power and it maintains missile capabilities, still has a navy, and still supports regional proxies.<\/p>\n Trump also teased the prospect of a U.S. protection racket under which Middle Eastern nations would be forced to pay monetary tribute to America if the U.S. and Iran do not finalize a nuclear accord.<\/p>\n On Monday, Iran\u2019s government declared victory<\/a> and appeared to vow revenge on the U.S. for the war.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,\u201d Trump wrote<\/a> on Truth Social on Sunday, his 80th birthday. \u201cI hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz.\u201d\u00a0An hour later, Trump offered a caveat, stating the strait would only be opened \u201cupon the signing of the Deal on Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis victory was achieved through absolute national cohesion, under the wise guidance of the Supreme National Security Council and all state pillars,\u201d Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei announced on Monday<\/a>, claiming that the conflict \u201ccost the aggressors heavily.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMoving toward diplomacy does not mean we will ever forgive or forget the crimes against the Iranian nation; the pursuit of justice for our martyrs is permanent,\u201d said Baghaei.<\/p>\n The White House did not reply to a request by The Intercept for comment on Iran\u2019s declaration of victory and apparent vow of revenge for its dead.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The new \u201cdeal\u201d is a complete capitulation for Trump who claimed<\/a>, on March 6: \u201cThere will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!\u201d No such surrender occurred.<\/p>\n Nor is it the first ceasefire Trump has claimed would result in a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n \u201cIran has now\u00a0agreed\u00a0to a ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d the White House announced on April 8, essentially the same agreement publicized on Sunday.\u00a0 That original ceasefire collapsed<\/a> months ago, but the fiction was observed<\/a> by the administration and mainstream news media outlets alike, until the new agreement was rolled out.<\/p>\n Pakistan says it will oversee a formal signing of a memorandum of understanding on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the National Assembly session in Islamabad \u201cthe immediate and permanent cessation of military operations has been announced across all fronts, including Iran, America, and Lebanon.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Self-styled War Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed on Sunday<\/a> that the agreement guarantees \u201cIran will never have a nuclear weapon, won\u2019t seek one, won\u2019t buy one, won\u2019t have one.\u201d Iran previously agreed to those terms when it first ratified the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in 1970, and reaffirmed that agreement on the first page of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action<\/a>,\u00a0or JCPOA, negotiated by former President Barack Obama\u2019s administration. Trump unilaterally withdrew <\/a>from that pact<\/a> during his first term<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump indicated Hegseth was lying or uniformed in an interview<\/a> with the New York Times on Sunday. The president said the U.S. was still negotiating whether Iran would suspend its enrichment for 20 years but hinted that he might settle for a 15-year suspension.<\/p>\n