DUBAI — President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States and Iran had reached a dealto end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz was met on Monday with a mix of praise and skepticism, after months of false promises that peace was imminent.
In the Middle East, where economies have been badly battered and many nations experienced terrifying barrages of drone and missile strikes, reactions were muted on Monday, with analysts and residents expressing cautious hope but also concern that the deal could unravel.
The U.S. and Iran are scheduled to sign the limited agreement on Friday, but precise terms remain unclear and significant areas of disagreement remain, including in regard to Iran’s nuclear program and the economic sanctions potentially to be lifted.
Mohammed Baharoon, director general of B’huth, a Dubai research center, compared the deal to “a pre-workout workout.”
“Everyone is hopeful — it’s an opening,” Baharoon said. “But this is the first step.” He said that the involvement of Pakistan and Qatar in the agreement is a positive sign but that ultimately the deal serves as another example of the ways in which Trump is flexing his power — and taking credit for solving a crisis largely of his own making.
“Trump could have walked into the G-7 summit as the leader who brought the world economy to the edge of collapse. Instead he is marching in as the one who reopened the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, referring to G-7 leaders’ summit that Trump is scheduled to travel to on Monday.
Some world leaders heralded the moment as a potential turning point, with a statementby France, the Britain, Germany and Italy — four of the Group of Seven advanced economies — calling the agreement a “diplomatic breakthrough” and “moment of opportunity to restore regional stability and stabilize the global economy.”
Trumprepeatedly complained that European allies did not do enough to help with the war in Iran, but there was little incentive for them to do given that Trump and his war are deeply unpopular.
Independent analysts were less full-throated in their praise.
The announcement constitutes “a serious move toward an MOU agreement,” which is not necessarily a full-fledged deal,” said Dania Thafer, executive director of Gulf International Forum, a Washington think thank.
“It is a framework for achieving a deal,” said Thafer, who splits her time between Doha and Washington. “It is a serious step, but a lot can go wrong.” Thafer added that there “are no winners in this war.”
“The U.S. did not achieve its objectives, while Iran achieved survival but did not change the regional order in its favor,” she said. “Opening the Strait of Hormuz is extremely urgent and important. But it was open before.”
In their statement, the European leaders urged the U.S. and Iran to move forward with negotiations to ensure “this agreement is implemented rapidly and comprehensively.”
“The urgent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz with unconditional and unrestricted freedom of navigation is essential,” read the statement, in which France, the U.K. Germany and Italy also pledged their support for the process.
Meanwhile, China “welcomes the agreement reached between the United States and Iran regarding details of the first-phase Memorandum of Understanding, and appreciates Pakistan’s mediation efforts,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said in a statement on Monday.
“China hopes that all relevant parties will remain committed to the path of peace and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation,” Jian said. “China stands ready to work with the international community and continue to play a constructive role in restoring peace and stability in the Gulf region of the Middle East at an early date.”
At a shopping mall in Dubai, Hadi Zaitoun, 30, who is from Syria, shrugged and smiled when asked about the announcement. Business across Dubaihas been slow, Zaitoun said, and everyone is ready for the war to be over.
“Finally, finally, they are ending it,” said Zaitoun, who was sitting at a sales kiosk with a colleague, fielding inquiries about apartment rentals and sales for a luxury property company.
“The whole region has had enough — more than enough,” he said. “But what, isn’t this the third time they said they would end it?”
Omran Ahli, 49, an Emirati sitting with his friends in a coffee shop in a residential neighborhood in Dubai, said that no one knows “whether or not the deal is real.”
“Today, they say it has ended, but in an hour, it could start again,” said Ahli, an air traffic controller.
Ahli said that the terms of the deal and what the future hold for the Gulf region — which had long tried avoid the war but was nonetheless pummeled by missile and drone attacks by Iran — are unclear. But he said one thing is certain: “In this war,” he said, “everyone has been a loser.”
Lyric Li contributed to this report.
The post In Mideast and worldwide, cautious relief over deal to end damaging war appeared first on Washington Post.
