Washington = Yonhap News) Correspondent Park Seong-min = The full text of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the United States and Iran, which had been kept under wraps, was made public by the U.S. Donald Trump administration on the 17th (local time), but it is expected that some provisions will be embroiled in strong controversy in the future.
The MOU, which a high-ranking U.S. official disclosed through a telephone briefing on this day, consists of a total of 14 provisions.
Among these, Article 5, which specifies Iran's measures related to the Strait of Hormuz, such as passage fees, mine removal, and future management system, seems highly likely to be at the center of controversy.
The three-sentence clause states, “Following the signing of this MOU, Iran will do its best to prepare for the safe passage of merchant ships heading from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa without any cost for 60 days only.”
The problematic phrase here is ‘with no charge for 60 days only’.
This is because it is interpreted that Iran will be able to collect money from civilian ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz after the 60 days of negotiations between the United States and Iran for a 'final agreement' on the end of the MOU.
The fact that passage through the strait without collecting any fees was limited to 60 days leaves room for Iran to impose toll-type fees for any reason in the future.
Additionally, another sentence in Article 5 states, “Iran will engage in dialogue with Oman to define the future management and maritime services of the Strait of Hormuz.”
In the meantime, Iran has revealed that it will not collect 'tolls' in the Strait of Hormuz, but that Iran and Oman, which have the Strait of Hormuz as their territorial waters, will collect the costs of providing 'maritime services' for safe passage.
In the end, it is possible to interpret this as contradicting President Trump's remarks so far, in which he had assured that the Strait of Hormuz would be completely free and open and that there would be no tolls at all.
President Trump may face criticism for rushing to reach an agreement favorable to Iran in order to quell public dissatisfaction that has soared in the United States due to a surge in energy prices ahead of the midterm elections in November.
Dissatisfaction from other countries that have procured energy such as oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz is expected to grow. This is because a new burden of fees, which had never existed before, may arise due to the war that began with the US and Israel's attack on Iran, and as this cost is included in energy transportation fees, it may cause an increase in oil prices.
Articles 4, 10, and 11, which stipulate that the U.S. begin to lift various military and economic pressure measures against Iran immediately upon signing the MOU, may also arouse the dissatisfaction of hardliners against Iran in the U.S.
Article 4 states that the U.S. military's blockade of the Iran Strait, which has been in effect since April 13, will immediately begin to be lifted and be completed within 30 days. The New York Times evaluated this as "a key and immediate victory for Iran, which sends the vast majority of its exports to China."
The NYT also pointed out, "Iran's immediate economic crisis will ease when revenues start flowing in again, but the United States will lose important leverage in the nuclear negotiations, which means Iran may have an incentive to hold out and extend the 60-day deal into months or years."
In addition, in the case of Article 10, the U.S. Treasury promises to exempt sanctions from exports of Iranian crude oil and petroleum derivatives and related services such as banking, insurance, and transportation, and Article 11 promises that the U.S. will issue all permits and approvals so that Iran's frozen assets can be used immediately.
The NYT pointed out that these provisions could also raise concerns among hardliners against Iran, and that Iranian military officials or companies designated as terrorists or sanctions targets before the 'final agreement' during nuclear-related negotiations could also become beneficiaries of frozen assets.
Article 6, which stipulates that the United States commits with other Middle Eastern countries to a final, mutually agreed upon plan worth at least $300 billion (approximately 465.3 trillion won) for Iran's reconstruction and economic development, is also a subject of controversy.
President Trump and Vice President JD Vance have emphasized that the United States will not contribute a penny to this $300 billion, but in the end, it is a large-scale financial support to Iran, a way to shift responsibility to other countries, and is strongly in the nature of 'compensation for war damage' that Iran has been demanding all along.
In addition, Article 1, which declares the immediate and permanent end of the war between the United States and Iran on all fronts, includes 'Lebanon' as one of the fronts on which the war will end, which may incur the dissatisfaction of Israel, which started the war along with the United States.
The NYT pointed out that "the United States has significantly dismissed Israel's concerns about the threat from Hezbollah, a pro-Iranian armed group based in Lebanon."
