US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding expires: How and why it fell apart

The June 17 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran expired on Monday amid faltering talks between the two sides. While full-scale fighting has been paused for the time being, the war on Iran, which began on February 28, is far from resolved.The Islamabad-brokered MoU was supposed to kick-start a 60-day period for peace talks between the two sides and included provisions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which has become a major flashpoint in the war.However, the vague wording of many of the clauses caused major disagreements – in particular over who had ultimate control over shipping through the strait, with Iran launching strikes on several ships which had failed to follow its approved route.As a result, the US re-launched strikes on Iran, triggering more attacks by Iran on US military assets in Gulf countries and Jordan as well as on energy and other infrastructure.Furthermore, while the MoU provided for a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon and Gaza, Israel has continued strikes on both territories and still occupies around one-fifth of Lebanon, where it says it is targeting strongholds of the Iran-backed Hezbollah.We look at key ...