Josh Block publishes purported text of US-Iran memorandum

No oil tankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday evening despite the US-Iran agreement announced a day earlier, according to an NBC News report citing vessel-tracking data.

The report said only four tankers successfully transited the strategic waterway since the agreement was announced, while most others remained anchored outside the strait awaiting further developments.

Vice President JD Vance told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday that the US-Iran agreement is designed to ensure Tehran never obtains a nuclear weapon, saying Iran is currently agreeing to eliminate its enriched uranium stockpile as part of the framework.

"They're agreeing right now to eliminate the enriched stockpile. And if they don't get to a point where they agree to stop enriching, then they don't get the other benefits of the bargain," Vance said.

Vice President JD Vance rejected news that Qatar would provide Iran with $300 billion under the US-Iran agreement, saying Washington has not approved any such arrangement and that Iran will not receive US funding as part of the deal.

Speaking on Fox News’ Hannity show, Vance said the agreement does not include direct financial transfers from the United States, adding that any future investment would depend on Iranian compliance and could involve third countries investing in Iran under certain conditions.

Republican lawmakers in Congress are withholding firm support for President Donald Trump’s Iran agreement, citing a lack of detail and transparency in the memorandum signed on Sunday, according to a Semafor.

While some GOP senators expressed cautious optimism about the ceasefire framework and a potential easing of tensions, others said they are waiting for the full text before taking a position, reflecting uncertainty within the party over the deal’s scope and implications, the report said.

Richard Fontaine said on Monday that the newly signed US-Iran agreement is unlikely to usher in a new era of stability or moderation in the Middle East, adding that Iran’s hardline system and regional posture will remain unchanged.

In a post on X, the CEO of the Center for a New American Security said the deal may reshape immediate dynamics but will not resolve core conflicts involving Iran, the United States, and regional actors.

“There will not be a new era of peace and moderation in the Middle East, in which Iran gives up revolutionary ideology in exchange for economic incentives and good ties with Washington,” Fontaine wrote. “The hardline regime, one bent on pushing the US from the region and harming Israel, is here to stay.”