Donald Trump unveils Iran deal, pushes for broader Middle East peace pact

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled the details of a new agreement with Iran that he said would prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon reopen the Strait of Hormuz and create an opportunity for a broader diplomatic reset across the Middle EastSpeaking at the conclusion of the G7 summit in France Trump said the agreement would end the current conflict and launch negotiations towards a comprehensive settlement while preserving the option of renewed military action if Iran failed to complyOn Sunday we reached an agreement with Iran that achieves everything we set out to accomplish Trump saidEnding the current conflict reopening the Strait of Hormuz and preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weaponSenior US officials later released the text of a 14paragraph memorandum of understanding that commits Iran not to procure or develop nuclear weapons restores commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and establishes a 60day period for negotiating a final agreementThe memorandum also links sanctions relief to Iranian compliance and provides for international oversight of Tehrans enriched nuclear materialTrump said the agreement had received strong backing from leaders attending the summit including PM Modi and several Gulf leadersPrime Minister Modi was here we had a long talk Trump saidThey are thrilled that we made a dealThe President said he also consulted with leaders from Saudi Arabia Qatar the United Arab Emirates and Egypt during the summitBeyond the nuclear issue Trump said the agreement could serve as the foundation for wider regional diplomacyAs I expressed to the world leaders here this week its my hope that the peace agreement will be the beginning of a much larger deal all across the Middle East he saidTrump specifically pointed to expanding the Abraham Accords stabilising Lebanon and addressing Iranbacked proxy groups as future prioritiesSo the expansion of the Abraham Accords is the other thing that we hope were going to get he saidAt the same time Trump publicly urged Israel to show greater restraint in LebanonYou can do a little softer touch Bibi he said referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuYou dont have to knock down a building every time somebody walks into it thats from HezbollahTrump also credited Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin with remaining neutral during the conflictI want to thank China President Xi Trump saidHe stayed neutralAnd I want to thank Vladimir Putin he was very neutralThe President argued that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would help lower global energy prices and reduce pressure on consumers and businessesOil prices are plummeting Trump saidFor India and other major energy importers stability in the Strait of Hormuz is a critical concern because a significant portion of global crude oil exports passes through the narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf to international marketsTrump nevertheless made clear that the agreement would be enforced through a combination of diplomacy economic pressure and the threat of military forceIf they dont adhere to the agreement he said were going to bomb the hell out of themThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever