Trump Gets Iran to Fold — Strait of Hormuz Reopens, Oil Flows, and Democrats Have Nothing to Say

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Trump Gets Iran to Fold — Strait of Hormuz Reopens, Oil Flows, and Democrats Have Nothing to Say

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the United States and Iran have reached a peace deal, authorizing the immediate removal of the U.S. naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and telling the world to fire up the tankers. The same crowd that spent months wailing about gas prices and predicting World War III just got handed the biggest diplomatic win of the decade — and you can already hear the crickets from the left.

Funny how that works, isn't it? When Trump bombs Iran's nuclear sites, he's a "warmonger." When he cuts a deal to end the fighting, suddenly nobody in the mainstream press wants to talk about foreign policy.

Trump took to Truth Social with the kind of energy only a man who just bent the mullahs to his will can muster. "The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete," he wrote. "Congratulations to all! I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade."

Then came the cherry on top: "Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!"

The deal, brokered with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif serving as intermediary, will be formally signed on June 19 in Switzerland. It's comprehensive — covering not just the U.S. and Iran but Lebanon as well, with both sides declaring the "immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts." A conflict that has killed more than 7,500 people, most of them in Lebanon and Iran, now has an endpoint.

And here's where it gets interesting for your wallet. Oil futures dropped 4% as markets reopened after the weekend, with crude already having fallen 12% from mid-week levels in anticipation of a deal. Brent crude dipped below $84 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate slid beneath $81. That's real money headed back to American families every time they fill up the tank.

Trump added more detail on the economic picture: "With the opening of the Strait upon the signing of the Deal on Friday, for purposes of mine removal, oil will flow on both ends again for the Region, and the World!"

Now, we're not naive. The deal includes a 60-day negotiation window to hammer out the thorny stuff — Iran's nuclear program, remaining sanctions, and resolutions from the United Nations Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency. An estimated $24 billion in frozen Iranian funds are set to be unfrozen during that window, with half released before final negotiations even begin.

That $24 billion is the part that'll make some folks nervous, and honestly, it should. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, no stranger to hawkish skepticism, said he's "pleased to hear the memorandum of understanding with Iran to allow the Strait of Hormuz to open has been agreed to" but added a pointed warning: "I am somewhat concerned that Iran's view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming."

Fair point. Iran's deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed the deal on Sunday, but Tehran has a long history of agreeing to one thing publicly and doing another thing entirely with their centrifuges. Trust but verify doesn't quite cut it with these people. More like verify, verify again, and then keep a carrier group nearby.

But here's what separates this from the disastrous Obama-era Iran deal. Trump didn't fly pallets of cash to Tehran in the dead of night. He bombed their nuclear facilities first, squeezed them with a naval blockade, cratered their economy — Iran's inflation rate recently blew past 77% — and then offered them a way out. That's not appeasement. That's negotiation from a position of strength, and it's something the foreign policy establishment in Washington has forgotten how to do.

The agreement also requires Iran to reaffirm its commitment to abstain from producing nuclear weapons. Whether they mean it is another question entirely, but at least it's on paper with American military credibility backing it up — not John Kerry's handshake.

This is the culmination of months of on-again, off-again negotiations, military escalation, and economic pressure that had the entire world watching. Trump played the long game, and he won.

We'll see how the 60-day window plays out. We'll see if Iran actually dismantles anything. But right now, today, the shooting has stopped, the strait is open, oil prices are dropping, and an American president just reminded the world that peace through strength isn't just a bumper sticker.

Meanwhile, the same Democrats who couldn't stop screaming about gas prices are suddenly very quiet. Funny how a win for America is always an awkward moment for the left.


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