The prospects for peace in the Middle East suffered a fresh setback, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying he’s not interested in extending the expiring agreement with Iran and fighting flaring anew in Lebanon. Asked whether he would seek an extension of the memorandum of understanding signed in June — which technically expires Monday — Trump told reporters, “No.” That truce was meant to give Washington and Tehran a window to reach a more lasting peace deal within 60 days.
Two months after the pact’s signing at the Palace of Versailles outside of Paris, with Trump flanked by world leaders and business titans and celebrating renewed flows of oil, both sides have said the agreement is defunct. Tensions over the Strait of Hormuz have sparked flare-ups in hostilities, multiple fronts have created a tinderbox across the Middle East, and there’s been no movement on addressing Iran’s nuclear capabilities that remain Trump’s stated primary objective for the strikes from late February.
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